[Source: Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka/ Facebook]

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is currently attending the 10th Summit of the Pacific Island Leaders Meeting in Japan.

He says this will be an opportunity to renew the PALM partnership between Japan and the Pacific countries to ensure that all Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives.

The summit, attended by leaders from the 18 member states of the Pacific Islands Forum aims to strengthen the forum’s vision for a resilient Pacific region characterized by peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity.

He adds that discussions at the summit will also focus on harmonizing implementation of the PIF Leaders’ 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, climate action, environment, people-centered economic development, and technology and connectivity.

He will also attend series of official engagements, including a bilateral meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida.

“We focusing on the issues of tropical interest that is the use of the region for strategic positioning, we have to be aware of those and maintain the cohesion of the region in our cooperation and development.”

The bilateral meeting is expected to further strengthen Fiji and Japan’s diplomatic relations, which over the years, has extended to important areas including climate change, disaster risk management, health, and social and economic development.

The PALM10 Summit ends tomorrow.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-Operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises Manoa Kamikamica will be acting Prime Minister while Rabuka is away for the Summit.