Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka [Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says he is committed to working toward a peaceful resolution to the West Papua issue.

This follows his appointment by the Melanesian Spearhead Group Caucus alongside his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape as Special Envoys to Indonesia to discuss the matter.

Rabuka says he looks forward to engaging in constructive discussions with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

He says the significant decision emerged during the MSG’s Caucus meeting yesterday in the Cook Islands, when he proposed sending a representative to Indonesia to foster dialogue on the West Papua situation.

The Prime Minister adds that the initiative is an extension of his ongoing efforts to promote the Pacific as a ‘zone of peace’.

He says the MSG Caucus collectively agreed that sending a ministerial envoy rather than a bureaucratic-level envoy would be the most effective approach to addressing the West Papua issue.

Rabuka says the decision aligns with the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ 2019 resolution, advocating for the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a mission in West Papua and the Papuan provinces.