THE Pacific Islands Forum (PIFS) is pushing ahead with in-person regional meetings despite mounting financial and logistical pressures across the region, as member governments confront ongoing concerns over fuel supply.
After the virtual special foreign ministers’ meeting in Honiara, the PIFS Secretary General, Baron Waqa, said discussions had already taken place with Singapore, a major hub for regional fuel supply, and that those talks had produced assurances.
“What we did discuss today, as the ministers discussed, was the suppliers of fuel to the Pacific,’’ Waqa said.
“Already discussions have been had and done with, especially Singapore. And we got assurance from ministers and those who have met Singapore recently to ensure and to announce to members foreign ministers at this meeting that Singapore pledges to continue to support and unhinder any supply to the Pacific.”
The meeting also highlighted the strain that rising costs are placing on the region’s regular diplomatic calendar.
Islands Business asked whether the Forum would continue to hold major gatherings in person, given the financial and logistical pressures already facing member countries, and whether more meetings might be moved online as a cost-saving measure.
Waqa said the secretariat had prepared for disruption and was working through the practical difficulties of bringing leaders together across a scattered ocean region. The upcoming schedule includes the foreign ministers’ meeting, the finance and economic ministers’ meeting in Majuro, and the leaders’ meeting in Palau.
“In fact, we at the Forum Secretariat have prepared ourselves for the possibility that this crisis would affect some of our very important meetings, such as this,’’ he said.
“The foreign ministers meeting, the finance and economic ministers meeting in Majuro, and the leaders meeting in Palau.”
He acknowledged the scale of the travel challenge, noting the distance to Palau and the extra expense of moving delegations across the Pacific.
“As you know, Palau is way up there. But we are already discussing logistics, how we can get our people up there.”
Despite the pressure, the Forum wants to keep the leaders’ summit in person.
“We want to have a face-to-face meeting of leaders (and) at this time we can,” he said.
He added that the Forum had received backing from partners and member states to keep the gathering on track.
“We’ve got some assurance from partners, friends, and members of the forum to support logistical arrangements to ensure that the leaders’ meeting goes ahead without any problem.”
He also pointed to the region’s geography, saying the Pacific does not offer the same ease of movement between capitals that some other parts of the world enjoy.
“It’s not around this part of the world where we can hitchhike here and there with the Australians and New Zealand aircraft and all that.”
