FIJI has ruled out any permanent presence of foreign military personnel under its security partnership with Australia.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said Australian personnel could only be embedded when there was a specific operational need, including co-operation to combat transnational drug trafficking.
“That’s not part of it,” Mr Rabuka said when asked whether Australian officials were being embedded in Fiji’s military under the Vuvale Partnership.
He said Fiji had its own national interests and was primarily focused on maintaining peace, security and stability within the Pacific.
“Most interested now in creating peace, comfort, security among Pacific nations and those already in the Pacific.”
He said Fiji’s co-operation with Australia and New Zealand remained important, particularly in addressing security challenges affecting the region.
He said the deployment or embedding of personnel would depend on the circumstances and the needs of the host country.
“When co-operation is needed, especially transnational drug trafficking, officers can be embedded. Otherwise, there’s no need.”
He said Fiji would continue to pursue arrangements that served the country’s interests while working with regional partners on shared security challenges.
