TUVALU Prime Feleti Penitala Teo has urged stronger regional cooperation to confront transnational crime across the Pacific, telling leaders in Fiji that no single island nation can secure the vast ocean alone.
Teo was in Fiji this week for the inaugural Pacific Police Ministers Meeting, held alongside the Pacific Transnational Crime Summit and attended by Pacific leaders, police ministers, commissioners of police and regional partners.
In his opening remarks, Teo said the Pacific’s shared geography also creates a shared security responsibility.
“The ocean connects our respective island countries and us all.”
He warned that the scale of the Pacific Ocean and the growing complexity of transnational crime demand a collective response.
“Given the vastness of the ocean and the extensive coastlines of Pacific Island states, no one island state can and should take on the responsibility of confronting transnational crimes on its own.”
He thanked Fiji for its longstanding support in training Tuvalu police recruits. He acknowledged the Pacific Police Initiative and the Australian Federal Police for providing specialised training opportunities for Tuvalu officers.
Teo said Tuvalu is also working on its first National Security Policy, which he said is expected to be launched later this year.
Tuvalu’s Commissioner of Police, Matatia Makaili, also attended the meeting.
