New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week.
The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka.
NZ says the visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki te kanohi with Government leaders and reaffirm the close links that already exist between Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Mahuta says Aotearoa New Zealand is a committed partner for Fiji and she looks forward to meeting with Prime Minister Rabuka and senior Ministers to discuss areas of mutual interest for both countries.
She says their focus will be on how Aotearoa New Zealand can support Fiji’s priorities under the Duavata Partnership, and how they can continue to work together to address issues facing our region.
Mahuta says they have strong links with Fiji through trade and regional security, and deep community connections through the Fijian communities who have made Aotearoa New Zealand their home.
She says a clear demonstration of the friendship is Fiji’s rapid deployment of military and emergency personnel to support the response to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Mahuta says in times of crisis we can rely on each other — as Pacific whanau — to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, meeting any challenge.
