Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has landed in Kiribati for his first State Visit to the island nation, ahead of his bilateral meeting with Kiribati’s President, His Excellency Taneti Maamau.
Rabuka arrived at Bonriki International Airport and was received by Kiribati’s Minister for Education and Secretary to Cabinet, Alexander Teabo after which he inspected the guard of honour by the island’s Police Services Brass Band.
Rabuka as the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum is adamant to re-engage talks with Kiribati after its withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum last year and to reaffirm that solidarity exists in the region.
He has made clear of his intentions and hopes to bring Kiribati back into PIFs before he passes on the chairmanship of the Pacific Islands Forum back to the Cook Islands in later in March.
The visit to Kiribati by Rabuka is a crucial step in strengthening the bilateral relations and historical ties between the two nations.
More importantly, it is also to seek President Maamau’s counsel on the pressing issues for the Pacific region, which include climate change, oceans and economic resilience, among other important aspects.
Rabuka is accompanied by his wife Sulueti Rabuka and senior officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
