PINA

By Pita Ligaiula Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reassured Pacific nations that his government support in the region does not come with strings attached. Albanese in an interview with Journalists, on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting said it was important to engage in a respectful way. “We live in a period whereby we have strategic competition...

Two Chinese defence attaches have been kicked out by Fijian police from a Pacific Islands Forum meeting at which the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, was giving a virtual address. The men were sitting in on a session of the Forum’s fisheries agency at which Harris announced the step-up of U.S engagement in the region, believed to be in response to...

By Pita Ligaiula U.S Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday she will request U.S Congress for US$600 million in funding for economic development, ocean resilience and combat the scourge of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the Pacific region. Harris made the announcement when she participated virtually in the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting, hosted by Forum chair and Fijian...

Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has called on the Fijian Government to release the grant that it continues to withhold from the University of the South Pacific. Last night, the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum remained firm with Fiji’s position to investigate the matter. “We said that there needs to be an investigation into the issue – these...

By Pita Ligaiula Fijian Prime Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Voreqe Bainimarama says the island nation of Kiribati will always be a part of the Pacific family, despite the country's withdrawal from the region's premier political organisation. While welcoming leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva Tuesday, Bainimarama said their common challenges have never been more serious...

The four Micronesian nations are “saddened” by Kiribati's shock decision to leave the Pacific Islands Forum regional body (PIF), the Federated States of Micronesia president says. The Micronesian Presidents' Summit (MPS) is expected to release a joint statement concerning Kiribati's departure from the regional PIF summit, in the coming days. But, speaking to RNZ Pacific, Federated States of Micronesia president David...

By Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong The shocking exit of Kiribati from the Pacific Islands Forum’s membership was “not an ideal situation”, Samoan Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has said. In an interview with the Samoa Observer in Fiji, after the news broke that Kiribati had pulled the plug on its membership, the Samoan Prime Minister said when she...

The U.S has announced a major step-up in its engagement with the Pacific region, including the establishment of new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, in moves that will be seen as attempts to counter China’s growing influence in the region. The U.S vice-president, Kamala Harris, made the announcement on Tuesday, as Pacific leaders gathered in Suva, Fiji for the Pacific...

The leader of Vanuatu, pushing to take climate change to the international court, said the slow pace of international negotiations over emissions reduction was "totally out of step" with the impact Pacific islands are seeing. Leaders from 15 nations are meeting in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum, where they are discussing how to gather more international support and funding...

By Pita Ligaiula As the Pacific emerge from the grip of COVID-19 our region remain in a state of turmoil, says Fijian Prime Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum. In his opening remarks at the 51st Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue with Associate Members and Forum Observers in Suva Tuesday, Voreqe Bainimarama said many countries continue to deal with...