Rabuka defends Israel partnership

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji stands to benefit significantly from Israel's presence in the country through development cooperation and assistance in tackling organised crime.

“We believe that there is significant potential to expand our engagement beyond traditional areas into new places emerging field where Israel's technology, where Israel has globally recognized expertise and the Fiji has growing national demand, they just dovetail very well together,” he said.

“These include cooperation in health, digital transformation, cybersecurity, where strengthening resilience and protecting critical national systems is important.”

Mr Rabuka said there were opportunities for Fiji and the wider region to benefit in areas such as agriculture and food security.

“We recognise the importance of security cooperation, including institutional linkages and capacity building that support national and regional stability. And Fiji's fight against illicit drugs, transnational organized crime will benefit from Israel's depth of knowledge and technology-based solutions.”

Mr Rabuka said the Pacific Islands Forum welcomed constructive international partnerships that support peace, stability and sustainable development in the Pacific.

Israel's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, said the opening of the embassy demonstrated Israel’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with Fiji and other Pacific Island countries.

“Your bold decision reflects your friendship, moral leadership and deep connection to the Holy Land.”

Mr Sa’ar said Israel was opening new embassies to deepen relationships and expand its global outreach, with the new embassy in Suva serving as a gateway to the Pacific.

“My foreign policy is we invest in our friends and Fiji is a true friend of Israel. We appreciate Fiji's friendship and support in multilateral forums. We want to share Israel's innovation and knowledge with Fiji in agriculture, water, energy, technology and more.

“We also view the Pacific region as strategic, a friendly area with huge potential. We want to deepen our connections and investment here.”