Mosese Raqio 
Foreign Ministers from around the Pacific gathered at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva this morning for the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting.
The Pacific must remain united and take charge of its own future as geopolitical competition for influence in the region intensifies.
That was the strong message from Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Rick Houenipwela at the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting today.
Houenipwela warned that while global interest in the Pacific has reached unprecedented levels, the region must not allow outside powers to dictate its agenda.
He stressed that Pacific priorities must continue to be “conceived by the Pacific, shaped by the Pacific and owned by the Pacific,” describing regional ownership as the Pacific’s greatest strategic strength.
The Minister says the region’s response to an increasingly complex global environment must be greater unity, stronger regional cooperation and deeper integration not fragmentation or division.
He also called on ministers to move beyond discussions and deliver real outcomes for Pacific people, saying the region has never lacked vision but now faces the challenge of implementation under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa reinforced the call for unity, saying the Pacific Way of regional solidarity, consensus and collective ownership remains as relevant today as it was more than five decades ago.
Waqa says the Forum Secretariat remains committed to helping members respond to emerging challenges, strengthen regional institutions and deliver on the priorities set by Pacific leaders.
