Prime Minister Attends 2018 Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Apia Featured
Prime Minister of Tonga 'Akilisi Pohiva
8 August, 2018. The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva, will attend the 2018 Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Taumeasina Island Resort in Apia, Samoa, on 10 August 2018.
The 2018 Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting is the prelude to this year’s 49th Pacific Islands Forum Summit that is scheduled to be hosted by the government of Nauru, 3 – 5 September. Important agenda items to be discussed by the Foreign Minister include:the ‘Biketawa Plus Declaration’ which will consider the region’s security landscape and to specifically discuss a proposed Leader’s level declaration on regional security cooperation; ‘Strengthening the Pacific Islands Forum’s International Engagement and Advocacy’, which will draw on the deliberations of the newly established FOC Sub-Committee on PIF Engagement and Advocacy; and ‘Securing the Pacific’s Maritime Boundaries’ which will provide an update on the region’s progress in securing its maritime boundaries.
The theme of this year’s 49th PIFS Summit in Nauru, “Building a Strong Pacific: Our People, Our Islands, Our Will”, will also be discussed by the Forum Foreign Ministers and they will reflect on the “current strategic environment by considering the geopolitical, geostrategic, economic, cultural and ecological value of our shared stewardship of the Blue Pacific – the world’s largest ocean continent … and address key emerging challenges”.
The Foreign Ministers Meeting will be preceded by a series of related Officials Meetings including the: Smaller Island States (SIS) Officials Meeting, 6 August; Pacific Africa Caribbean, Pacific (PACP) Officials Meeting, 6 August; and the Forum Officials Committee (FOC) Pre-Forum Session, that will be held on 7 – 8 August.
The Hon Prime Minister will be accompanied to the Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting by the Acting Chief Secretary and Sectary to Cabinet, ‘Olita Tupou; Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mahe Tupouniua; Deputy Secretary in PMO Legal Division, Dr. Sela Moa; Political and Media Adviser, Lopeti Senituli and; Personal Assistant, Po’oi Pohiva.
The Hon Prime Minister will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other Pacific Island Forum countries on the 9th of August and the accompanying officials will attend the preceding Officials Meetings.
The Hon Prime Minister is scheduled to depart Tonga for Apia via Auckland on 6 August and return on the 13 August 2018. During his absence, the Deputy Prime Minister Hon Semisi Sika will act as Prime Minister.
