Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will participate in the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) in Tokyo, Japan, next week.
Every three years, Japan hosts the PALM meetings, where Pacific leaders and Japan come together to exchange views on regional issues and strengthen their ties. The first meeting was held in 1997, while PALM9 took place online in July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Rabuka was one of the Pacific leaders who attended the inaugural meeting in 1997.
“For us, it’s just a continuation of the first PALM,” he said. “It’s our regional cooperation, and we’ll be focusing on the topic of tropical interest, which is the use of the region for strategic positioning; we need to be aware of those.”
The PALM meeting provides an opportunity for Japan and Pacific leaders to discuss important issues like climate change, development aid, and strategic security for the region. It also serves as a platform for Pacific leaders to highlight the issues their countries face and explore how the region can assist them.
“I felt duty-bound to be there, being one of the founding leaders who attended the first one and the whole issue of regionalization, regional cooperation, and development,” Mr. Rabuka said. “Our role in the universe and globally, it will be good for us to go there.”
Japanese Ambassador to Fiji Rokuichiro Michii expressed gratitude for Mr. Rabuka’s attendance, noting it demonstrates his commitment to regionalism. “We are grateful for making it possible to travel because Fiji’s bilateral relations are very important,” he said. “In this region, Fiji plays a central role; it’s a source of stability, therefore, his presence is very, very important.”
The PALM meeting will take place from next Tuesday to Thursday.