Caption: Fiji’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola and his New Zealand counterpart Minister Murray McCully in Nadi today.
NADI- Fiji and New Zealand have agreed to have an annual consultation for their Foreign Ministers starting from next year.
This followed successful talks between Fiji’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola and his New Zealand counterpart Minister Murray McCully in Nadi today.
This high level consultation was the first after a period of seven years.
Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said the consultation has paved the way forward for the two countries’ bilateral relation. He believed that annual consultations would clearly define how they could work with each other.
Given that the past is water under the bridge for the two countries, Ratu Inoke said that Fiji would support New Zealand in whatever ways it could and vice versa.
The two foreign Ministers discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues that matter to them. These issues ranged from Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, Pacific Access Category, development cooperation, post-election bilateral defense engagement, climate change adaptation and peacekeeping. They also discussed the post 2015 Development Agenda.
In the consultation the two Ministers briefed each other of their countries’ preparation towards elections.
Fiji will have elections on September 17 while New Zealand will have their election on September 20.
Minister McCully said the consultation effectively opened a new chapter for the two countries.
The two Ministers hope that their bilateral relations would be raised to greater heights in the future.
MINFO