Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka has participated in the 3rd Singapore Pacific High-level visit from May 20th-23rd.
Minister Agovaka was joined by other Pacific Islands Ministers along with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General, H.E Henry Puna during the discussions which was held in Singapore.
The event is the first overseas engagement for Hon. Agovaka after being sworn in as Minister earlier this month and it serves as a pivotal platform for enhancing bilateral ties with the Pacific region.
Upon arrival in Singapore, the visiting delegation from the Pacific were welcomed by the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Dr. Vivian Balakrishan at an opening ceremony.
Over the three-days visit, Foreign Minister, Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka was engaged in a series of high-level discussion with leaders and officials of Singapore, including the Minister for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Senior Advisor and Special Envoy of the Minister for Transport, Yap Ong Heng.
Minister Agovaka and colleague Ministers from the Pacific were given the opportunity to discuss and exchange views on areas of mutual interest, including Climate Change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development and other areas of interest.
They were also briefed on the Singapore experience in areas as port management, waste management, Green Plan Management and Singapore development planning.
‘’ The 3rd Singapore Pacific High Level was an excellent opportunity to reinforce our partnership with Singapore and address shared challenges’’ Hon. Peter Shanel Agovaka said during a joint call on Prime Minister Hon Lawrence Wong at the state House.
He also conveyed a congratulatory message from Prime Minister, Hon. Jeremiah Manele on behalf of the Government and the People of Solomon Islands to Hon Lawrence Wong on his recent appointment as Prime Minister of Singapore and thanked him for the hospitality offered to his delegation as wells as for the Pacific Islands delegation.
Prime Minister Wong expressed his gratitude and conveyed his message of greetings and congratulations to Prime Minister Manele, his Government and People of Solomon Islands.
He said Singapore looks forward for more cooperation with Solomon Islands to address areas of interest.
The visit concluded with several initiatives aimed at fostering greater economic integration, addressing environmental challenges and training opportunities.
The 3rd Singapore Pacific High-level visit continues to foster deeper cooperation and a unified approach to regional issues.
This visit has set the stage for continued collaboration on pressing issues affecting the Pacific region and to enhance bilateral relations with Singapore.
