The 55th meeting of the Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum officially got underway last night (Monday) with a ceremony held at the National Gymnasium. Whilst some leaders are yet to arrive, others are now in country, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from Australia.
Hon Ralph Regenvanu was welcomed as the head of Vanuatu’s delegation, in the absence of Prime Minister Napat.
The ceremony was Palau’s opportunity to welcome Leaders, partners and other delegates to the country. It also marked the handover of the PIF chair from Solomon Islands to Palau. Hon Rick Nelson Houenipwela spoke as the head of the Solomon Islands delegation. He began by conveying the apologies of Prime Minister Mathew Wale who left Palau within hours of arriving on Sunday morning.
Other speeches were given by Baron Waqa, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum and President Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau, as incoming chair.
All of the speakers referenced that this Leaders’ meeting marks the return of dialogue partners and others after last year’s meeting which was restricted to Forum members only. This was seen as a way for Solomon Islands to avoid wrangling tensions arising from Taiwan’s participation as a development partner, something which Beijing considers wrong.
This year Taiwan brought a large delegation, building on its diplomatic ties with Palau. The delegation is headed by their Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-lung. The high visibility given to the Taiwanese delegation has already angered the Chinese Pacific envoy, Qian Bo, as reported by the ABC.
However, it is clear that the Leaders do not want tensions of this sort to distract from the main focus of this week’s meeting. Waqa and Whipps Jr both stressed the importance of partners respecting that Pacific priorities must determine engagement and collaboration.
The ceremony included performances of traditional Palauan dances and concluded with a dinner that featured many local delicacies. Today the real work gets underway.
Photo credit: Stefan Armbruster/Pasifika TV
