A SOLOMON Islands proposal for a regional security treaty will be considered by national governments and officials following discussions at the Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Suva.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has been promoting the proposal since taking office in May, calling for stronger regional cooperation on security.
Chair of the meeting and Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Rick Houenipwela said ministers noted the proposal and agreed it should be taken back to national governments for further consideration.
“The ministers noted the paper and considered that it needs to be worked on, so various officials have to take it back to their headquarters to deliberate on it,” Houenipwela said.
He said the proposal would return to the Forum after national governments had considered how to address it.
Asked by Islands Business how the proposal was received, Houenipwela said it was well discussed but needed to be considered alongside existing regional security frameworks.
“I think the paper, I think the meeting has dealt with it as it should. This is a new submission.”
“But the other thing that was considered is it’s been submitted already. There are frameworks in place already which deal with the same issue. So, the idea is to put all that together.”
He pointed to existing regional mechanisms, including police ministers’ meetings and other security arrangements.
“I think that is why ministers want to take it back to headquarters, their own headquarters, to deliberate on it,” he said.
“And yes, the security treaty presented by Solomon was well discussed.”
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa said the proposal requires further work because it overlaps with existing regional security frameworks.
“The decision is to keep working on it because, as chairman said, they overlap with other declarations and other implementation plans and activities that are centred around the security work and initiatives that are currently underway,” Waqa said.
“So there has to be more work, and to making sure that everyone is comfortable with it.”
China and Taiwan
Asked whether discussions around China had proved challenging for ministers, Houenipwela said China was recognised as an important development partner for the region.
“I can’t recall any issues that ministers have in regard to China, except that China is recognised as a very important development partner for the region, both at a bilateral and multilateral level,” he said.
Waqa said China itself was not a specific agenda issue.
“Specific discussions on China wasn’t an issue for discussion,” Waqa said.
“It was only the intercontinental ballistic missile that was discussed at quite some length.”
He said China remained a significant partner for the region, particularly through its bilateral relationships with Forum members.
On Taiwan, Waqa clarified that Taiwan is not a Forum dialogue partner but remains an important development partner that engages with individual Forum members.
“Taiwan is a very important development partner. It’s not a dialogue partner,” Waqa said.
He said Taiwan and its regional partners hold meetings alongside Forum gatherings, but these do not form part of the Forum’s formal programme.
“They don’t fall within the formal part of the programme, but yes, it happens every year,” he said.
The Solomon Islands proposal will now undergo further consideration by national governments and officials before returning to the Forum.
