Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has celebrated the end of a successful Pacific Islands Forum by enjoying drinks, laughter and selfies with other Oceania leaders.
The annual convention ended Thursday in the Fiji capital Suva, where a climate emergency is expected to be declared following an all-day leaders’ withdrawal.
Mr Albanese left the retreat, declaring it a “very successful meeting” and claiming that Australia’s “new stance on climate change was particularly well received”, despite Fijian counterpart Frank Bainimarama questioning those claims.
He leaves Fiji relieved after previous promises by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare that no Chinese military base will be built on Australia’s doorstep.
The Australian Prime Minister was at his charismatic best as the summit concluded on Thursday afternoon
He was given a wreath, a traditional Fijian gift given to visitors as a token of appreciation.
The Pacific leaders also posed for an official family photo and cake-cutting ceremony.
Mr Albanese gathered them all together so he could snap a selfie, where New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern can be heard brazenly shouting ‘Queenslander’, referring to the Maroons State of Origin series victory against NSW the night before.
The leaders were later treated to a traditional Beating Retreat ceremony, where Mr Albanese was seen sipping a beer and hooking up with the Fijian Prime Minister.
What’s so funny: Anthony Albanese joked with Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama as the Pacific Islands Forum shut down Thursday night
“Our Pacific Family has come together in Fiji to agree on how to address our shared challenges and leverage our collective strengths. Australia’s commitment to step up action on climate change has been warmly welcomed by leaders,” Mr Albanese tweeted.
And I look forward to working with leaders on our bid for Australia to host a UN conference on climate change in partnership with our Pacific neighbors. Because together we are stronger.”
Albanian has claimed he had regional support for Australian climate policy.
“It was also reflected in each of the personal dialogues I had with prime ministers and other leaders of our Pacific neighbors,” he said.
He also said he has support from Australia’s Pacific bid to host an upcoming UN conference on climate change.
“They all expressed their support for the offer and that is reflected in the communiqué,” he added.
But Mr Bainimarama has since questioned that claim after Thursday’s summit.
“In every meeting and discussion I’ve had this week, I’ve been clear and consistent in our calls for more ambitious climate commitments,” he said.
Most urgently, we must end our addiction to fossil fuels, including coal. That’s our question from Australia.’
Say Cheese: Anthony Albanese Gathers His Fellow Pacific Leaders To Take A Selfie
Pacific leaders posed for an official “family photo” during a summit retreat. Mr Albanian is pictured third left in the back row
Earlier, Bainimarama called Australia on Twitter.
“Australia’s new climate pledge is a step forward that Fiji has long aspired to – but out of the duty I owe every young person in the Pacific, I have urged (Mr Albanian) to push forward for the shared future of our family through Australia’s commitment to the 1.5 degree goal,” he wrote.
Mr Albanian has steadfastly refused to give way to his main promise to cut emissions by 43 percent by 2030, a target many experts say is inconsistent with 1.5 degrees of global warming – the benchmark level expected at the summit .
Nevertheless, Australia’s status has improved since the last meeting of leaders in the Pacific, which then Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended in Tuvalu in 2019.
Australia’s 2022 reception is in stark contrast to the last personal summit of the PIF leaders.
The 2019 Tuvalu summit was marked by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s intransigence towards requests in the Pacific to boost climate pledges.
“The Prime Minister was very abusive, very condescending, not good for the relationship,” Bainimarama told The Guardian in 2019.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga, the latest host, accused Australia of being only “concerned about saving your economy.”
“I am concerned about saving my people in Tuvalu and also the leaders of other small island nations in the South Pacific,” he said.
Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama (second from left) laughs along with Anthony Albanese
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was presented with a wreath on the final day of the summit, a traditional Fiji gift given to visitors as a token of appreciation.
Mr Albanian also claimed to have made a breakthrough on an issue that has clouded the week: Kiribati’s withdrawal.
The Micronesian nation walked away from PIF the weekend before the Suva summit, while Prime Minister Taneti Maamau did not engage in diplomatic contacts.
That changed on Thursday afternoon, when Mr. Bainimarama contacted Mr. Maamau to convey PIF’s “zeal to unite.”
“Prime Minister Bainimarama has made it clear to the other PIF leaders that it has been a very constructive dialogue… the door is open for Kiribati’s return,” Mr. Albanian said.
A line also appears to have been drawn under the Solomon Islands’ flirtation with closer security ties with China.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare assured journalists that an agreement signed earlier this year would not lead to a Chinese military facility within 2000 km of the Queensland coast.
“The moment we establish a foreign military base, we immediately become an enemy. And we are also targeting our country and our people for possible military attacks,” he said.
“There is no military base, nor any other military facility or institution, in the agreement. “And that’s a very important point that we keep repeating to the family in the region.”
Anthony Albanese and Ms Ardern held bilateral meetings with Mr Sogavare during the leaders’ summit in Suva on Wednesday.
Mr Albanese described his meeting with Mr Sogavare as “very constructive” and stressed that “Australia’s interests would not be served by having a military base so close to Australia”.
Anthony Albanese (left) is assured by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (right) that no Chinese military facility will be built on Australia’s doorstep
The body language between the two leaders certainly suggested warm relationships, with Mr Sogavare greeting his Australian colleague with a warm hug and saying ‘ahhh I need a hug’.
“I welcome his comments to rule out the possibility of a Chinese base,” said Mr Albanese.
“We’re very much involved in the Pacific now.”
‘I notice that this meeting would have taken many hours before. I’m told one of the reasons for that is Australia’s changed position (on climate change).
The trip to Fiji was Mr Albanian’s fourth foreign visit to meet world leaders since he became prime minister two months ago.
Cook Island will host the Pacific Islands Forum in 2023. The forum was established in 1971 and consists of 18 member states.