AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s official two-day visit to Fiji is an important one, says a University of the South Pacific academic.
The university’s head of school and director politics and international affairs, associate professor Sandra Tarte said the visit was a sign that Fiji and Australia were trying to leave their past behind and forge a new way forward to strengthen their diplomatic relations.
“This is a very significant meeting because Australian Prime Ministers don’t normally make bilateral visits to the region except Papua New Guinea because they have a special relationship,” Ms Tarte said.
She said it would be an opportunity for Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to discuss areas where Fiji could improve bilateral relations with Australia.
Ms Tarte also claimed that Australia, over the past years, had started escalating its commitments to the region, especially Fiji and Vanuatu, because of China’s growing influence.
“This will be an opportunity for Fiji to highlight its ongoing role in Australia and also to build that economic relationship in investment and trade in Australia.
“Last year, Fiji opened its new trade commission in Sydney so there is this desire to put the past behind us and take our relationship with Australia to new heights.
“We have seen the co-operation and security particularly the naval support in terms of refitting our patrol boats, our new patrol boats coming and the ones that participated in defence exercise last year in Australia,” she said.
