Oceania

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister in Fiji for ‘Pacific Reset’

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters leads a delegation of MPs to Fiji for the first time since the announcement of the ‘Pacific Reset’

March 04th, 2019
Henrietta Störig, News from Berlin
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New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters introduced his plan of a ‘Pacific Reset’ in February 2018. Since then it is the first time that Peters visits and leads a delegation of MPs to Suva, Fiji to meet and discuss the strengthening of relations with Fiji Officials.

The ‘Pacific Reset’, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refers to it, describes the effort of New Zealand to strengthen its bilateral/multilateral relations with other Pacific nations in terms of security, trade and culture. New Zealand recognizes that they have a lot of culture in common with the other Pacific islands and thus wants to strengthen its own influence and understanding in the region. At the end of February, Winston Peters and other MPs visited Fiji in order to discuss such efforts, as part of his visits to other Pacific nations as well.

Having met Fijian President Jioji Konrote, Acting Prime Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security Inia Seruiratu, the two Foreign Ministers issued and released a joint communiqué which aims to strengthen bilateral security relations and calls for regular meetings and discussions regarding issues and events in the Pacific region. Development, democracy and shared values are also at the core of the joint statement and are to be strengthened with resource and financial support from New Zealand to Fiji.

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News from Berlin