Ratu Naiqama warns UN against turning Pacific into arena for rivalries
He says Blue Pacific welcomes investment but rejects great-power contests
Saturday 26 September 2026 | 08:00
President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu addresses the UN General Assembly in New York, U.S.
Photo: Supplied
President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has warned that the Pacific Ocean “must not become a theatre in which others settle their rivalries”.
He delivered the message directly to world leaders at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York on Thursday (Friday, Fiji time).
It was the first time Ratu Naiqama addressed the UNGA as Fiji’s Head of State, following President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere’s statement at UNGA79 in 2024 and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s address at UNGA80 last year.
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He was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Sakiasi Ditoka, Environment Minister Lynda Tabuya, Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN Filipo Tarakinikini and permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs Solo Mara.
The President said the Blue Pacific welcomed “friendship, investment and genuine cooperation”, but warned against the region being used as a stage for great-power contests.
His comments follow China’s test-firing of a nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific in July, which Australia and New Zealand condemned as destabilising and inconsistent with the Pacific’s vision of an “ocean of peace”.
Mr Rabuka has since rejected claims that militarisation was undermining that agenda.
Ratu Naiqama promoted the Ocean of Peace Declaration, urged respect for international law over “power alone” and said Fiji “chooses dialogue over coercion”.
Without naming the conflict, he called for the peaceful settlement of conflicts wherever they occur, urging all parties to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.
The President also appealed for a return to the negotiating table in ongoing wars, insisting the UN Charter “does not apply differently according to who is involved”.
The address comes as Mr Ditoka confirmed he would hold bilateral talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at Moscow’s request, to share the Ocean of Peace vision.
The President also raised Fiji’s constitutional review, its HIV emergency, costly remittance corridors and climate justice, saying no state should lose its UN seat because rising seas alter its coastline.
