Ambassador Yauvoli pays a courtesy call on foreign affairs minister Hon. Sugiono

Fiji’s Ambassador to Indonesia His Excellency Mr Amena Yauvoli paid a courtesy call on Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Sugiono at his office in Jakarta on Tuesday 25 March 2025.

During their meeting, Ambassador Yauvoli congratulated Minister Sugiono on his recent appointment, and discussed a range of bilateral issues and opportunities to further strengthen the existing ties as the two countries approach 51 years of diplomatic relations.

Minister Sugiono expressed his support for increasing trade cooperation with Fiji and broader Pacific region and creating more opportunities in areas such as seaweed culture and agroforestry which are nature-based solutions that are beneficial to the environment. The Minister commented that as archipelagic states with similar challenges, Indonesia is a gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets which Fiji has yet to fully tap into with the exception of niche products such as Fiji Water.

Ambassador Yauvoli complimented Indonesia on being a genuine development partner for Fiji and hopes this benefit flows onto other Pacific islands countries. Ambassador Yauvoli expressed Fiji’s gratitude for recent and on-going projects such as infrastructure rehabilitation in the education sector, building resilience center for excellence in agriculture, disaster management capacity building, counter narcotics and correctional reforms.

In the first of such meeting, both sides expressed a common desire in strengthening the foundation of cooperation and in addressing common challenges, including through a possible visit to Indonesia by the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka.

Minister Sugiono also expressed his interest to visit Fiji and the Pacific region in the near future, with immense opportunities ahead to strengthen engagements, whilst Fiji prepares to assume the rotational Chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) later this year.