Update: 8:17PM FIJI’S Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has warned that crises parliamentarians from the Asia Pacific region will discuss at their 25th forum threaten years of development progress throughout the region.
He said this was why this Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum was so important.
Mr Bainimarama said at this forum, respective countries could deepen trust and security cooperation among them and find solutions that could save valuable time in preventing transnational crimes.
“Here we can lay the groundwork for the next phase of regional security by strengthening existing frameworks and systems, and preparing the next generation for the challenges not yet upon us,” the Fiji PM said in his official address in Sigatoka today.
“The stakes could not be higher,” he said, adding those crises were causing countless innocents to suffer, and jeopardise entire peoples and ways of life.
Mr Bainimarama said those issues demanded regional action reasoning “any weak link in the Asia-Pacific leaves us all exposed”.
“We live together in this part of the world. It is our home, and it should nurture the hopes and dreams of our people.
“We share this most sacred space, and so we share a destiny and a responsibility to all our people, and Fiji stands ready to do our part.”
