Pacific Leaders’ Summit with the Kingdom of Morocco a success ^Featured

The Pacific Leaders’ and distinguished representatives from the Kingdom of Tonga, Kiribati, The Republic of Palau, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu have all agreed, and officially endorsed the Roadmap of Cooperation, between these seven (7) Pacific Island Countries (PICs) , and the Kingdom of Morocco.

The Roadmap of Cooperation is designed, based on the bilateral and multilateral framework within the United Nations (UN) framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the SAMOA Pathway and the Climate Resilience measures, focusing on Education, and Technical Cooperation on Technical and vocational training opportunities, Agriculture, Health, Fisheries, Tourism, Climate Change, and the continuous financial assistance to be provided and be transferred, to the respective participating countries, including the Government of Tonga, as for additional budget support, and to financing of the related components of the Roadmap Cooperation.

The Hon. Prime Minister of Tonga, Dr. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa and the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Hon. Nasser Bourita, have endorsed the following Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) for implementation and benefits for the Kingdom of Tonga, as follows:

1. The Establishment of a Political Consultation Mechanism to conduct regular and on-going consultations, and exchanges of views, in relations to bilateral relations and international matters, of common interests;

2. The conduct and engagement of regular vocational and diplomatic training programs at the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic studies, for Pacific students, and including areas of technical specializations, for the Pacific region’s sustainable development programs;

3. Cooperation in Environment protection and Sustainable Development, focusing on the South South Cooperation platform, for promoting and the development of the economies, of the participating countries, including the global commitment to the Paris Agreement, and Climate Change Adaptation, and Mitigation;

4. The Understanding of a Visa Waiver program, that is allowed and applied only to Diplomatic and official passports holders, from the Pacific region, and the Kingdom of Morocco; Based on the MOUs stated above and the need for urgent actions, the Prime Minister of Tonga, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, have both agreed to immediately conduct a scoping mission by a team of expert officials from the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, to visit the Kingdom of Tonga, before May 2020, to immediately review and develop new projects, to begin right away and be completed on, or before the end of 2020.

In considering the Government of Tonga’s priorities of combatting against Illicit drugs, Education, Health, Economic Development which includes the construction and improvements of trade-related support infrastructures – particularly of the ports and roads / transport construction (Ngaahi Hala mo e ngaahi Uafu), the provision of desalination water supply systems to high salinity water supply areas of Ha’apai, Atataa and ‘Eueiki, and the commissioning of the development of new value added industries (of the supply chain) from Fisheries and Agriculture sectors of Tonga, these MOUs were stipulated, to immediately furnish all of the agreed plan of actions (subject to the completion of the scoping mission).

There were six (6) bilateral meetings conducted, and the results were very positive, and encouraging.

These bilaterals were meant to implement now.

The Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa led Tonga’s delegation and accompanied by Mr. Edgar Cocker, Chief Secretary & Secretary to Cabinet and Senior Government officials.