NZ defence keen to 're-engage' with Fiji
A visit by New Zealand's defence minister to Fiji signals the thawing of an icy relationship between the two countries following the 2006 coup.
Transcript
A visit by New Zealand's defence minister to Fiji signals the thawing of an icy relationship between the two countries following the 2006 coup.
Gerry Brownlee visited Fiji this week in a bid to rebuild defence co-operation and engagement following Fiji's elections in September.
His trip to Suva follows a list of recent visits by top military representatives from France, Britain, Australia and the US.
Amelia Langford reports.
After Fiji's elections in September, New Zealand lifted its last sanctions on Fiji which until March included a travel ban on the Fiji military for its role in ousting the elected government in 2006. The Minister of Defence, Gerry Brownlee, says New Zealand has had long-standing military ties with Fiji since the First World War. He says New Zealanders were the commanders of Fijian forces up until the 1970s but close ties were lost following the country's coups.
GERRY BROWNLEE: Oh I think they still have some concern that we are back on the scene after eight years of being away but I have got to say we were very warmly received and the engagements that we have proposed - they are very keen to advance and I think the relationship will simply grow from here.
Mr Brownlee says he does not consider re-engaging with officials involved in the 2006 coup as problematic.
GERRY BROWNLEE: We don't interfere directly in other countries politics. We set out some conditions that were around the return to fully democratic elections. They were successful and we now have a government that we are very keen to reengage with.
Gerry Brownlee says discussions included an overview of Fiji's security and also its disaster relief arrangements. He says Fiji's Chief of the Defence Force has signaled an interest in resuming officer training in New Zealand, including courses for command staff. The Director of the Centre for International and Regional Affairs at the University of Fiji, Richard Herr, says New Zealand should expect things to be different, as Fiji has made new friends in the past eight years.
RICHARD HERR: They have also sent officers to Beijing and Moscow for training and India and Malaysia so they are not necessarily saying it will be at the same level as intensity where there were only a limited training options. They see themselves as having multiple training options now.
Fiji has also strengthened its military ties with India and the United Arab Emirates, and is expected to host Russia's defence minister early next year. A spokesperson for the Fiji military this week told Fiji media outlet, FBC News, that it is important to connect with overseas defence forces to help the country defend itself against any internal security threats. He says the Sydney cafe siege, where a gunman held people hostage for almost a day, demonstrates how important it is for Fiji to engage with its defence counterparts.Meanwhile, New Zealand's opposition says the country must help Fiji maintain its new democracy. The Labour Party's defence spokesperson, Phil Goff, says a coup mentality has blighted Fijian politics for several decades.
PHIL GOFF: I don't think the coup has been forgotten but I think the mindset needs to be - let's build on what has been achieved in the election, let's look forward and not just backwards.
Phil Goff says New Zealand has an obligation to help ensure Fiji retains it democratic system and must not hold its coup-ridden past against it.
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