FIJI’S partnership with New Zealand today sits at unparalleled strength, says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
He made the comment while welcoming New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday.
Mr Bainimarama said Ms Ardern’s personal commitment to the Pacific had built new bridges of co-operation upon a foundation of trust and openness.
“A few years back, we entered a new era of the Fiji-New Zealand friendship; an era defined by mutual respect and equality,” he said.
Mr Bainimarama said through Ms Ardern’s inclusive and compassionate brand of leadership, she had earned a profile that extended far beyond New Zealand, winning the hearts and minds of people in Fiji and all around the world.
“I’m glad to see it, because I believe our world badly needs more leaders like Jacinda.”
Mr Bainimarama said he considered himself a good judge of character, and through his interaction with Ms Ardern, he discerned a leader who shared the same passion for New Zealanders as he did for Fijians.
“The Prime Minister and I have had the privilege of meeting several times now, and through those meetings, I can tell you one thing: this is a leader who truly cares, who not only leads well but listens, and who shares the principles of togetherness and progress that I hold most dear.
“But what I’ve admired most is how – when tested by great adversity – she has summoned the spirit of unity in a way that not only lifts up the people of New Zealand, but inspires the wider world.
“She and I both see the power in a simple idea; the idea that no matter their background or creed, our people’s fates are bound by nationhood.”
Mr Bainimarama said for much of Fiji’s 50-year history as an independent nation, that was a revolutionary concept.
He said but after shutting the door on decades of hurt and division, today, every citizen of this country could call themselves a proud Fijian, united in the purpose of building a better nation.
Mr Bainimarama said his discussions with Ms Ardern centred on how the surging partnership could deliver greater good in the lives of Fijians and New Zealanders alike.
“New Zealand is Fiji’s second-largest regional trading partner. Every year, tens of thousands of Kiwis visit our shores, and Fijian and New Zealand businesses send flows of goods, services and investments across our borders that sustain and create jobs within our economies.”
