Fiji and Australia have committed to strengthening their defence and security cooperation.
This was made known during a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Hon. Richard Marles today.
Prime Minister Rabuka thanked Hon. Marles for visiting the Blackrock Camp Facility in Nadi, the culmination of a joint effort by Fiji and Australia on the security and defence of the two countries.
The Australian Government through its Department of Defence funded the world-class security training facility which was opened last year.
On security cooperation, Prime Minister Rabuka said he is pleased with the depth and maturity of our cooperation and strategic partnership in defence and security, including border and maritime security.
However, he said with the evolving global security threats, we must be proactive and work together on strengthening our cooperation in security intelligence, cyber-security, defence review and police cooperation.
Prime Minister Rabuka also acknowledged Australia for the provision of 14 additional Protected Mobility Vehicles (Bushmasters) to support Fiji’s international peacekeeping operations.
He welcomed Australia’s responsiveness to our needs and acknowledged that this supports our ambitions in the security sector.
Hon. Marles said Australia and Fiji’s defence relationship is enduring and strong; a key pillar in our Vuvale Partnership.
He said our partnership continues to grow, highlighting that the two countries will further advance discussions on defence and security.
