A Pacific academic says Kiribati has sent a strong message by rejecting a Russian businessman's investment proposal, which included a demand for sovereign rights to three of its uninhabited islands.
Anton Bakov, who is the founder of Russia's Monarchist Party, had hoped to use the islands to revive the Romanov Empire and create what he called an "alternative Russia".
He also said he planned to invest about 350-million US dollars in Kiribati by building a resort complex on Malden Island.
However, the Kiribati Government last week announced it has rejected Mr Bakov's demand for sovereign rights over the three Southern Line islands as a prerequisite to his investment.
Academic and former Tongan politician, Sitiveni Halapua, told Amelia Langford that Kiribati should be congratulated on its stance.
The Kiribati capital and most populated area, South Tarawa, consists of several islets, connected by a series of causeways.
Photo: Supplied
Transcript
SITIVENI HALAPUA: Sovereignty is not something to be bought and sold. This is something that every independent Pacific nation is quite jealous about - you know, how they protect the sovereignty of the nation, which is about the security and the safety of the whole nation...so I'm very impressed and that the basis for the rejection is not some commercial criteria of some kind - it's based on political criteria and that is the right decision to make.
AMELIA LANGFORD: This is the second time that Mr Bakov has tried to buy or lease an island in the Pacific - do you think this is going to send him a message and of course other foreign investors that the Pacific can't be bought?
SH: Yes, I think it should do. It's a very strong message that comes out form Kiribati here and we know and the world knows that Kiribati has a lot of very critical challenges in regard to climate change. They needs as much money as they can put together to address and mitigate the problem. It's not like any other Pacific Island country. It's not very rich or wealthy. For Kiribati to stand up and base their decision on a matter of principle regardless of their own need and challenging economic status, I think that is something that ought to be recognised and respected.
AL: Yes because once, obviously, you give away sovereignty, you can't get that back can you?
SH: No, in fact, if you really think in terms of the Pacific Island nations, the small states, the most important thing that we have is our own sovereignty. Just like any other bigger country and wealthy country. And we know that, for instance, in the United Nations, the most powerful international institution - Kiribati has the same vote as the United States of America because of their sovereignty - that really shows how important sovereignty is to any of our Pacific Island countries and I congratulate recognising that most important thing they have in their possession.
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