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Bainimarama commends Australian counterpart for historic visit

January 18, 2019 8:50 am

Australian PM Scott Morrison [left] with Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama [right] [Source: Fijian Government]

Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama has commended Scott Morrison for becoming the first Australian Prime Minister to visit Fiji.

While officially hosting his Australian counterpart to dinner in Suva last night, Bainimarama says he is not the only one who is surprised that it has taken this long to welcome an Australian leader for a visit of this nature.

He says in the past four years, Fiji has welcomed leaders from around the world to Suva, including the heads of government from China, India and New Zealand.

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“So, it is high time we’ve played host to Australian leadership, and, Prime Minister, you deserve credit for taking a step forward in our bilateral relationship –– a step that your predecessors hesitated to take themselves. And while it was only a short flight to Suva, your presence here has already taken our relationship a very long way indeed.”

Bainimarama says Morrison’s presence sends a clear message that he is taking the two countries partnership extremely seriously.