New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and a delegation of Parliamentarians from New Zealand made a brief stop-over in Honiara to meet with the Prime Minister, Hon. Jeremiah Manele and selected members of his cabinet yesterday.
The New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation were met on arrival at the airport by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, Hon. Bradley Tovosia before travelling down to meet the Prime Minister and his delegation at the cabinet room.
Hon. Winston Peters visit was also to hand deliver a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele from the New Zealand Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Chritopher Luxon.
The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the Solomon Islands Government’s priorities for its first 100 days in office and on both countries’ development partnership going forward.
Discussions also touched on areas of health, tourism, labour mobility, energy, infrastructure, education, governance and economic reform.
The visit also enabled the deputy Prime Minister to briefly outline New Zealand’s proposed development cooperation and engagement with Solomon Islands in the corporation program for the next Triennium [3 years] worth approximately $800 million SBD over the three years.
In receiving the delegation, Prime Minister Manele welcomed Hon. Winston Peters on his first engagement with him as Prime Minister of Solomon Islands and thanked him for making a diversion to his planned trip to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea to visit him in person.
“Your presence here demonstrates the depth of our relations and the respect and solidarity we share between our two countries, we value and appreciate our relations with New Zealand,” Hon. Manele remarked.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka and Minister of National Planning and Development Coordination, Hon. Rexon Ramofafia attended the courtesy visit by the New Zealand delegation.
The New Zealand Delegation included Pacific Peoples & Health Minister Shane Reti; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts; Foreign, Defence & Trade Committee Chair Tim van de Molen; and Opposition Foreign Affairs Spokesperson David Parker.
The New Zealand delegation said it is looking forward to making a further visit to Solomon Islands later this year, as well as to hosting a future visit from Prime Minister Manele and senior members of his Cabinet.
Source: Press Release, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade