Pacific ministers table Solomon Islands' bid to defer partner dialogues

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) foreign ministers’ meeting on Thursday discussed Solomon Islands' decision to defer partner dialogues to next year's forum leaders meeting, with officials confirming that consultations with regional leaders on this issue would continue. 

PIF Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi could not confirm whether dialogue partners would not be formally invited to the Forum Leaders meeting in Honiara next month, but stressed that discussions among the foreign ministers on the matter were "comprehensive". 

"The next steps for us are to consult the government of the Solomon Islands as it relates to the outcomes of the meeting today, and then we will confirm the next steps," Mr Nayasi added. 

"In relation to communication with our partners, the Secretariat will communicate with our partners."

From left: PIF Deputy Secretary-General Esala Nayasi, Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting chair and Tongan Foreign Affairs Minister, Crown Prince of Tonga, Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala and PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa.

Pacific Islands Forum

This development comes after Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele proposed that talks with dialogue partners, including Taiwan, China and the US, be deferred to next year's Forum Leaders' meeting, essentially blocking partner nations from attending the summit in September. Some Pacific Island countries have publicly backed the move. 

Mr Nayasi assured that Solomon Islands had consulted and written to all PIF members about its decision.

The outcomes of Thursday's meeting will be released soon, Mr Nayasi said, which will provide more clarity on the issue.

Foreign ministers from eighteen member countries gathered at the PIF Secretariat in Suva for their annual ministerial meeting ahead of a critical Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting next month.

Among the regional priorities discussed were the implementation of the 2050 Strategy on the Blue Pacific, Australia's bid for the UN climate summit, and the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on climate change. 

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