Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is attending a Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit on Cook Island, as a special guest.
Australia, New Zealand, and tiny island countries Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga are among the 18 participants at Rarotonga, the Cook Islands’ capital.
Earlier this week, she signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Ghana’s behalf with the Cook Islands to establish official diplomatic ties. Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, signed on behalf of his country.
After South Africa, Ghana is the second African country to establish official diplomatic ties with the South Pacific Republic of 15 islands. Brown also serves as the Pacific Islands Forum’s chairperson.
Ghana has a modest diplomatic presence in the Pacific, but diplomats believe relationships with developing nations, no matter how small or remote, are critical for forming and sustaining coalitions for advocacy inside international organisations.
Botchwey spoke with Pacific regional leaders on a number of problems, including climate change, which poses a serious danger to tiny island states and Africa despite the fact that wealthy countries are the greatest polluters.
She also met with Australia’s Minister for International Development, Pat Conroy, with whom she discussed ways to make the Commonwealth more relevant to member countries.
In another discussion with Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, she stressed the importance of making the Commonwealth relevant at both the “people to people” and the “government to government” levels.
The Fijian leader remembered his time as a United Nations peacekeeper in southern Lebanon under the command of the late General Emmanuel Erskine.
Ghana and Fiji are significant contributors to UN peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Rabuka stated, “We share a common history (as former British colonies), but we must work together to build a common future.”
