Nadi, Fiji, 6 August 2023 - Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, the Honourable Mark Brown, arrived in Nadi this afternoon for a series of bilateral and regional engagements focused on the Cook Islands and the Pacific economic resilience and partnerships for prosperity priorities.
On Monday, Prime Minister Brown's schedule of engagements starts with a meeting with Fiji Airways Chief Executive and Managing Director Andre Viljoen and a tour of the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy. In the afternoon, he will meet with Fiji Prime Minister the Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka, and in the late afternoon he will be hosted by Secretary General of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Secretariat Henry Puna and the Secretariat team to a ceremonial welcome for Prime Minister Brown in his capacity as PIF Chair.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Brown will continue high-level talks with the Fiji Government meeting with Fiji Deputy Prime Minister the Honourable Viliame Gavoka, who is also Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, and Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica who is Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications.
Prime Minister Brown will then visit the SPC Suva Regional Office Headquarters and meet Dr. Paula Vivili, the Deputy Director-General Science and Capability for the Pacific Community and Head of SPC's Suva Regional Office. The Prime Minister will then visit the University of the South Pacific Laucala Campus to meet with Dr. Giulio Masasso Tu'ikolongahau Paunga, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Regional Campuses and Global Engagement.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Prime Minister Brown assumes Forum Chair responsibilities and will Chair the annual Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) which is part of the Ministerial meetings that will inform the Forum Leaders Meeting that will convene in Rarotonga from 6-10 November. A meeting of the Forum Troika Leaders will convene on Friday, involving Prime Minister Brown as the current Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, with Prime Minister Rabuka the most recent past Chair, and Tonga Prime Minister the Honourable Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi Sovaleni assuming Chair responsibilities after Prime Minister Brown.
Prime Minister Brown is supported on this Fiji mission by the Honourable Tingika Elikana, Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Finance and Economic Management; Foreign Secretary Tepaeru Herrmann; Financial Secretary Garth Henderson and Cook Islands High Commissioner to Fiji, His Excellency, Jim Armistead. The support team will also assume Forum Chair obligations, including the pre-meetings of Forum Economic Officials and Troika Senior Officials.