US-Fiji Bilateral Invite Surprises Fijian Delegation

The invitation from the United States of America secretary of State for a roundtable discussion yesterday came as a pleasant surprise for the high-level Fijian delegation.

In fact, the invitation came a little after lunch for a 4.45pm discussion about understanding Island Climate Priorities at COP 26.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama welcomed State Secretary Antony John Blinken and commended him for returning to the COP fold.

The US had withdrawn from the Paris agreement in June 2017 after Donald Trump became president.

To show how serious they are, the US were represented at Glasgow’s COP26 by US President Joe Biden, former vice president Al Gore and John Kerry, the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Yogesh Karan said it was a great feeling to have a powerful nation like the United States return.

“It’s like going back to where they left off.  They’ve come back very strong, and they are supporting the call for 1.5 and they are going to need that support.”

Mr Karan said Fiji can also learn from the many US success stories related to climate solutions.

Fiji – Norway Bilateral

It was the first time for Mr Bainimarama to meet with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store after a change in leadership.

Mr Bainimarama emphasized Fiji’s four priorities at the summit with a strong focus on maintaing 1.5 degrees. 

Mr Gahr Store was hopeful that Norway will achieve 1.5 by 2025.

This is because 80% of vehicles run on an electric energy source.

Discussions about operating electric vehicles like buses and maritime transportation powered by solar took up most of the time.

The possibility of getting a visa processed upon arrival was again put on the table as the current visa processes is a real hassle.

Fiji – Ireland Bilateral

Getting access to secure funding through the Green Climate Fund was the focus of discussions with the Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.

Mr Martin is keen to see Fiji’s plan, how we propose to access the funds and what we want to do with the money.

The Attorney-General and Minister for Climate Change Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum will be tasked to explore the possibilities available.

Apart from the defence cooperation between the two countries, Ireland has also assisted Fiji in training development and capability building.

“We thanked Ireland for scholarships available in areas where we don’t have expertise back home and we told them we would want to increase support in areas where we don’t have expertise,” Mr Karan said.

Overall

The partnership is growing from strength to strength on the international platform.  With the amount of bilateral meetings pouring in, it just shows that Fiji, being a developing country and rubbing shoulders with the bigger nations is a big thing for us, Mr Karan said.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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