The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Jim Marurai, arrived in Solomon Islands today on a visit intended to familiarize himself with the work of the Honiara-based Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency [FFA].
He was met by Solomon Islands Foreign Minister, Hon William Haomae MP, the Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency [FFA], Mr. Dan Su’a, senior government officials as well as FFA’s senior officials.
Prime Minister Marurai’s visit follows an invitation extended by the Director General.
In accepting the invitation, Mr. Marurai becomes the first Prime Minister to visit the regional organization, underlining renewed interest at the highest political level to find ways to protect tuna stocks in the region.
Prime Minister Marurai was quoted as saying his trip was to visit the Pacific’s premier fisheries organization to enable him to see for himself firsthand the infrastructure and the work of the organization which he described as the region’s “most important”.
“The visit also aims to highlight to both FFA members and Distant Water Fishing Nations the importance that the Cook Islands attaches to the future of the tuna stocks of the Pacific,” Prime Minister Marurai said.
He said his country always had a vested interest in the future of the region’s tuna stocks and believed that his visit would be “immensely beneficial”.
“Not just for highlighting what we recognize as the one natural resource that we in the Pacific all share and value greatly, but also to heighten the role that we, as custodians, play.
“This is in terms of protecting the future of our tuna stocks through effective conservation and managements,” he said.
In Honiara this evening, Prime Minister Marurai and his delegation will attend a dinner hosted in his honor by his Solomon Islands counterpart, Dr. Derek Sikua.
Tomorrow morning, Prime Minister Marurai will pay courtesy calls on Prime Minister Dr. Sikua as well as Foreign Minister, William Haomae before his formal program at the FFA headquarters begins.
He will be met at the FFA headquarters by Director General Mr. Su’a before he has an opportunity to watch presentations by FFA staff on the work of the organization.
On Thursday, he is expected to meet with the acting Special Coordinator of RAMSI, Dr. Jonathan Austin before he travels to Tulagi where a Cook Islands policeman, Sgt Rima Manavaikai, serving with RAMSI, is based.
The Cook Islands Premier is being accompanied on the three-day visit by Mr. Carl Hunter, Director, Pacific Division of Cook Islands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration and Mr. Ian Bertram, Secretary of the Ministry of Marine Resources.
Source: Alfred Sasako, FFA
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