Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Pio Tikoduadua (right) and his New Zealand counterpart, Defence Minister Andrew Little.

Fiji and New Zealand have signed a Status of Forces Agreement to further strengthen the defence relationship between both Pacific partners.

Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Pio Tikoduadua says that the agreement will provide a framework that will support both military forces in joint defence activities.

“Today we have signed another statement of intent that strengthens literally the relationship that we share from people to people and, of course, through our militaries, the exchanges that we have shared in the past as people follow common regions.” We have the same interests in protecting our own people and reaching out to others in times of need.”

Tikoduadua says the signing today demonstrates the commitment of Fiji and New Zealand to foster strong ties in defence and security matters, promoting peace and stability in the Pacific.

New Zealand Defense Minister Andrew Little says that both countries have been facing several security challenges such as climate change, that need more hands to work together to mitigate its effects.

“It’s important also because, in the Pacific generally, we know there are challenges. Obviously, the impact of climate change and the weather events that is causing and the need for respective countries to be resilient to that.”

The Status of Forces Arrangement sets the stage for increased cooperation and mutual understanding between the two nations, further solidifying their partnership in the years to come.