New Zealand, Fiji sign defense deal to strengthen cooperation

ANKARA

New Zealand and Fiji signed an agreement to strengthen defense relationship between the two Pacific countries, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was signed by New Zealand Defense Minister Andrew Little and Fiji's Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Pio Tikoduadua in Suva, the capital of the South Pacific archipelago nation of more than 300 islands.

“The SOFA is a legal framework for the New Zealand Defense Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces for closer cooperation within each other’s territories,” Andrew Little said in a statement posted on the government’s website.

The latest development came a week after Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made his first official visit to New Zealand since being elected in December last year.

“As nations of the Pacific, we face a number of significant security challenges. We know climate change will be one of the most significant challenges of our lifetime, and the need to work together to mitigate its effects, will only increase in the coming years.

“This agreement reflects the value New Zealand places on our relationship with Fiji and is important for our militaries to work together more effectively, including during our frequent exercises, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response cooperation,” Little said.

The two ministers also signed a Statement of Intent outlining the two nations' defense cooperation priorities, which include training, maritime security, and disaster and humanitarian response coordination, the statement said.

During his recent visit to New Zealand, Premier Rabuka signaled his intention to pull out from a 2011 defense deal with China.

“If our systems and our values differ, what cooperation can we get from them?” Rabuka was quoted in the New Zealand Herald newspaper without elaborating on the reasons for moving away from China.

In October last year, Fiji also signed defense cooperation deal with Australia.

The US, Australia, and New Zealand are stepping up their cooperation with Pacific Island countries to counter China's growing influence in the region after it signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands last year.

Recently, the US has also signed a bilateral defense pact with Papua New Guinea.

China and Australia have been major aid and infrastructure donors in the region.

The 18 countries and territories in the Pacific Islands Forum cover 30 million square kilometers (10 million square miles) of ocean. The region's leaders say climate change is their greatest security threat, amid worsening cyclones and rising sea levels.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid