Photo: Twitter/Pacific Islands Forum. Retrieved from abc.net.au

Excerpt from abc.net.au

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ troika and Fiji’s prime minister have touched down in New Caledonia for a fact-finding mission on the situation of the French Pacific territory.

The troika plus format involves the PIF’s previous, current and future chairs, including Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, and representative of the Forum’s future chair, Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter-Shanel Agovaka (who takes part in place of Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele).

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is the “plus” component of the mission.

While Mr Brown landed in Nouméa on Saturday, the rest of the PIF leaders touched down on Sunday and were welcomed by New Caledonia’s highest officials, including local government President Louis Mapou, French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc and French Ambassador for the Pacific Véronique Roger-Lacan.