Incumbent Pacific Islands Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has confirmed that a high-level Troika delegation will visit New Caledonia before the end of August.
The mission, which has received strong support from French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to assess the escalating situation on the ground and promote dialogue in the politically sensitive French territory.
“I can confirm that France have approved and supported the visit.
“This is hot off the press,” Brown declared Friday, after meeting with French Ambassador to New Caledonia, Véronique Roger-Lacan.
While details are being finalised, Brown made it clear that timing remains a challenge due to prior commitments.
The mission, to be led by the Forum Troika—comprised of Brown, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, and Tonga’s Prime Minister—faces a tight schedule.
“This will be a Troika-led delegation with myself, Prime Minister Rabuka, and the Prime Minister of Tonga. However, due to pending obligations and preparations for the Leaders Meeting, the Prime Minister of Tonga may not be available. If that’s the case, the incoming Troika member, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele, will step in. It will be a three-person delegation, and the expectation is that the mission will take place before the Leaders Meeting.”
Brown explained that the mission must be completed before the Forum Leaders Meeting on 26 August.
“The matter of timing is really upon the Troika members, myself, Prime Minister Rabuka, who has previous engagements locked in.
“So right now we’re looking at what’s the window of availability that we can attend New Caledonia, as long as it’s before the Leaders meeting, which commences on the 26th of this month. So that’s the that’s the complication. They’re not from the side of New Caledonia or France, more from our side to fit in with our calendars,” said Brown.
The delegation’s visit comes at the request of New Caledonia, reflecting the gravity of the situation on the ground.
“The New Caledonia delegation provided an update on the situation on the ground, and was able to discuss the request from New Caledonia for a mission, a high level mission from the Forum, to be able to visit New Caledonia to provide an assessment of the issues on that is occurring in New Caledonia, and be able to report back to Forum leaders on the outcomes of our visit.
“The Forum is very mindful of the nature of the relationship that New Caledonia as a member of the Forum has, but also France’s relationship with New Caledonia currently as a territory of France. So there are some sensitive political dimensions that must be taken into account,” PM Brown stressed.
Brown emphasised the mission’s purpose, focusing on de-escalating violence in New Caledonia and promoting dialogue.
“But we feel that our sentiments as a Forum, firstly, is to try and reduce the incidence of violence that has taken place over the last few months, and also to call for dialogue as the way forward to address the concerns that have been raised by members in New Caledonia that has led to this violence.
“So we reiterate that support as Pacific Forum, our call for the de-escalation of violence. And further now calls for coming to the table and continuing dialogue to see way forward,” Brown explained.
The Forum Foreign Ministers Friday expressed the PIF’s ongoing commitment to support a resolution to the situation, and agreed to institute the New Caledonia situation as a standing agenda item for Forum Leaders.
