The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking the ocean of peace concept through the Pacific Island Forum consultation process.

This has been highlighted by Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka while updating parliament on the development of the concept.

Rabuka adds that there is a need to preserve the region from acts of militarization, the arms race, and, above all, nuclear weapons and their threats of use and abuse.

The Prime Minister says that Fiji recognizes the interest and responsibility of Pacific Island Forum membership to promote regional cooperation for economic development and peace.

“Working through the Pacific Island Forum and recognizing that this is a long-term objective, Fiji promotes an ocean of peace based on a set of principles that recognize and complement existing frameworks.”

Leader of group of nine opposition bloc Ioane Naivalurua, says that it’s about time Fiji changes the arc of instability into the ocean of peace, or the arc of peace.

“Our view from this side is that the way forward to bring the world to our part of the Pacific is that we create the right environment, the right situation, and we have in place leaders that not only posture and stand on the firm belief of peace, but we create. We create the environment of peace.”

Naivalurua hopes that the ocean of peace concept will be discussed and endorsed in the next Pacific Island Forum meeting.