The Acting Prime Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the statement by Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr, that Fiji is "diminished" by not accepting a nomination for the position of Australian High Commissioner in Suva is unwarranted.
Sayed-Khaiyum has questioned how Fiji is diminished.
He said Fiji is exercising its sovereign right like all other countries do in approving, as a host country, a nominee of another country for a diplomatic mission.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the statement indicates, yet again, that Australia's attitude to Fiji is prescriptive and highhanded.
He said rather than deal with Fiji as an equal, it expects Fiji to say “yes” to everything Australia proposes.
Australia and Fiji agreed last year to exchange high commissioners.
Senator Carr subsequently appointed career diplomat Margaret Twomey to the role and hoped she would begin in February.
But according to the Courier Mail the process stalled as Fiji refused to approve Twomey’s visa.
Six months after Senator Carr announced Twomey's appointment, she is still waiting in Canberra for her posting to begin.
It was earlier stated by the Fijian government that Twomey was nominated by the Australian government and the final decision is yet to be made by Fiji on whether the nomination will be accepted.
Senator Carr now says that if Fiji does not want to receive an Australian high commissioner, that's their loss.
The last Australian high commissioner, James Batley was asked to leave in 2009, after he was accused of meddling in local politics.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
