Pacific Island leaders approve: Israel joins as partner
The Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum informed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar that the heads of member states have approved Israel's inclusion as a partner. The decision was made at a meeting in Palau. Israel will cooperate in the areas of water, agriculture, and innovation. Concurrently, a first briefing was held with the MASHAV aid agency.
The Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Baron Divavesi Waqa, informed Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar that the heads of member states have approved Israel's inclusion as a partner in the forum. The decision was made last night (Monday) at a meeting held in the island nation of Palau. The announcement followed Sa'ar's visit to Fiji in June, during which he presented Israel's request to join. Under the new status, Israel will cooperate with regional countries in the areas of water, agriculture, and innovation. During his visit, Sa'ar inaugurated the Israeli embassy in Fiji's capital, Suva, headed by Ambassador Maya Yaron. The embassy is also responsible for nine additional island nations. In the last term, three Pacific nations opened embassies in Jerusalem: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Nauru. Today, forum representatives held a first briefing with Israel on development aid at the organization's headquarters in Suva, with the participation of Ambassador Yaron and the head of the MASHAV aid agency, Ambassador Einat Shlein. The briefing discussed technical assistance, training, and water security.