‘Family comes first’: Fiji lends full support for AUKUS defence pact

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni ­Rabuka has assured Australia of his support for the AUKUS agreement and does not believe that conflict in the Pacific is imminent.

Anthony Albanese shakes hands with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Nadi on Wednesday. Picture: PMO

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni ­Rabuka has assured Australia of his support for the AUKUS agreement and does not believe that conflict in the Pacific is imminent.

It comes as Anthony Albanese agreed he would take a “family first” approach with Suva towards issues of regional security.

The Prime Minister made a brief stopover in Nadi, Fiji, on the way home from the US where he unveiled a pathway to a nuclear submarine capability in San Diego alongside US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Australia is seeking to allay any concerns over the AUKUS agreement within the Indo-Pacific region, with Mr Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong having phoned their counterparts in recent days to keep close partners updated and informed.

Mr Albanese spoke to Mr Rabuka about the AUKUS arrangements in advance of the announcement, and had received the support of the Fijian leader who is preparing to visit Australia later this year.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Rabuka, with the pair holding bilateral talks on Wednesday at the Blackrock camp – a facility which Australia helped to redevelop. The Fijian leader made the journey from Suva specially to attend the meeting.

Mr Rabuka said he had received assurances that the acquisition of nuclear-powered sub­marines would not prevent Australia from complying with the Treaty of Rarotonga which prohibits member states from possessing and placing nuclear weapons in South Pacific.

Upon meeting the Fijian leader at Blackrock, Mr Albanese said “thank you for the conversation we had and thank you for your warm support and for confirming that you want a family first approach to security, which is our approach as well”.

Mr Albanese was then accorded a traditional welcome which saw him seated on a small dais covered in woven mats in front of a collection of both Fijian and Australian defence personnel.

During the ceremony, Mr Albanese – who appeared at times unsure of how to respond – was allocated a herald who spoke on his behalf. The Prime Minister was then offered a garland of knotted rope which he kissed and drank a coconut shell of offered kava.

At the end of the ceremony, Mr Rabuka asked “you like it (the kava)?” to which Mr Albanese replied “very good”.

There was laughter, with Mr Albanese saying that “you can get it in Marrickville too” and Mr Rabuka assuring him that he would not have to drink another one.

“Australia is investing in our capability but we’re also investing in our relationships and it’s wonderful to be welcomed here by Prime Minister Rabuka here in Fiji,” Mr Albanese said.