“I have requested that if every contingent of Fiji, that if they provide 100, if it is possible to give 10 to Vanuatu, and he have agreed with this idea,” PM Napat said yesterday after returning to Port Vila.
He said this is a government-to-government arrangement and all selected police officers will be trained at Black Rock, a regional training institution in Fiji.
the leaders have instructed the Secretariat to develop its concept, and even to the extent where if it needs for us to make one of the legislation where it covers travelling within MSG, then this have to be done,” Napat said.
He added that leaders acknowledged other MSG activities including the Melanesian Cup and the Cultural Festival hosted recently in Vanuatu.
“In 2026, Fiji will be the host. This has taken the full support of the MSG leaders.”
Climate action and Vanuatu's role
PM Napat said climate change was also part of the leaders’ discussion, and Vanuatu was commended for its international leadership.
“They continue to encourage every member within MSG to continue pursue this idea, took it to different level of platform, and they commend Vanuatu for the initiative that we have taken to spearhead loss and damages and also idea in terms of ICJ.”
Fisheries and trade agreements
He said MSG leaders also tasked the Secretariat with developing new concepts around fisheries and marine resource development.
“This is because within Melanesian we have more resources in our EEZ, and also when you look at population and land mass, MSG have seen to be globally have a lot of resources but weight is with us. This is why the idea to create different avenues on how to benefit from it.”
On trade, Napat said the MSG Secretariat has been asked to revisit current agreements.
“The leaders requested the Secretariat to revisit our trade agreement again to see what we can work on and improve—to give fair distribution and at the same time allow different country so that they can trade, and this is part of our trade agreement.”
Maritime Boundary with Fiji
PM Napat also held a bilateral meeting with the PM of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, to discuss unresolved maritime boundaries between the two countries.
“We have sorted our maritime boundary with Solomon Islands already, but with Fiji not yet. When I support this idea, the Prime Minister of Fiji welcomes this idea, and he wanted for us to do it like how we do it with the Solomon Islands—with the culture of Melanesia,” he said.
“This is a very positive note because we have been waiting for since Fiji have signed a treaty with France and Australia in 1983. This is very difficult to us since every time we come to discuss our boundary with France it has been challenging.”
“But I think the road that the PM of Fiji indicated in the bilateral is that yes, we will sort this out in the Melanesian way. And then that give us an advantage to deal with our maritime boundary with France.”
doddy@dailypost.vu
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