Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on Tuesday delivered a lecture on the theme ‘Ocean of Peace’ at Sapru House, highlighting the Pacific region’s role in promoting peace, stability, and maritime harmony.
Opening his remarks, Rabuka said, “Greetings from the President, the Government, the Chiefs and the people of Fiji. It is my distinct honour to be here in New Delhi to make some remarks on the Ocean of Peace concept, of which I am probably the principal advocate during this decade. There have been many who have tried to promote the concept of the Pacific as an Ocean of Peace.”
He underlined the vastness of the Pacific and its geostrategic importance. “While our island state might be small and scattered in the Pacific Ocean, collectively we have sovereign rights over 32 million square kilometres of the blue Pacific. This area alone is only slightly smaller than the combined land areas of Russia, China and the United States of America.”
Speaking about regional identity, he added, “Yet Pacific peoples have remained resilient. We are united by a shared identity and a deep guardianship of our ocean, although it is the world’s ocean, the Pacific. This resilience and unity inspired the Ocean of Peace concept and its vision for the future.”
Recalling the history of Pacific peoples, the Fijian leader noted, “Our forebears journeyed into the unknown some 3,000 years ago in great outrigger canoes. They steered by brilliant navigation using the stars only at the time. These pioneers sailed infinite miles month after month, finally settling on the islands and atolls that they discovered.”
Calling this “one of the most remarkable migrations of a people,” Rabuka also pointed to the region’s vulnerabilities”.-TIN Bureau