New Zealand and Fiji finalising defence agreement

7/6/2023 11:31

        New Zealand and Fiji are finalising a defence agreement that will increase engagement between the two countries militaries and help build capacity and skills in the Fiji Defence Force, the Fijian prime minister said on Wednesday.
        
        Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told media in Wellington, where he is meeting senior New Zealand government officials including the prime minister and opposition leader, that the agreement would be finalised next week.
        
        "The agreement will allow defence officials to undertake engagement in different areas including capacity building and upskilling and exposure to new technologies interoperability and technical support among other," he said.
        
        The agreement comes as New Zealand, Australia and its partners seek to deter Pacific Islands nations from forming security ties with China, which last year struck a security pact with Solomon Islands.