BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
FORUM Chair and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Cooper Wale has reaffirmed that the Blue Pacific Continent philosophy remains the region’s greatest strategic asset, urging Pacific leaders to strengthen regionalism to safeguard the future of the Pacific.
Speaking during his official visit to Suva, Fiji, Wale said regionalism has been the driving force behind many of the Pacific’s greatest achievements and must continue to shape the region’s future.
He said the theme of the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, hosted by Solomon Islands in Honiara last year captured the spirit of Pacific unity.
“Last year in Solomon Islands, we came together under the theme ‘Iumi Tugeda – Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent.’ Iumi Tugeda is more than a theme. It reflects our shared identity, respect, our interconnectedness and our enduring responsibility to one another as one Pacific family,” Wale said.
He said the ocean itself is what binds forum members together through shared values, history and a common future.
According to Wale, regional cooperation has enabled Pacific Island countries to amplify their collective voices on critical global issues, including climate change, maritime boundaries, ocean governance and regional resilience.
“It is through regionalism that we transform many small island states into one Blue Pacific Continent. It allows us to speak with one voice where individually our voices may struggle to be heard,” he said.
Wale said regionalism enables Pacific nations to engage with international partners from a position of strength rather than vulnerability.
“If Iumi Tugeda taught us anything, it is that our greatest achievements will never come from acting alone. They come when we journey forward together,” he said.
Wale stressed that regionalism should remain the foundation for both the region’s development and its long-term security.
He said security in the Pacific has never been about competition between nations, but about protecting Pacific peoples, sovereignty and the region’s way of life.
“It is about ensuring that the Blue Pacific remains an ocean and region of peace, stability and mutual respect,” Wale said.
He acknowledged the important role of regional agreements such as the Biketawa Declaration and the Boe Declaration but said there is still more work to be done to strengthen the regional security architecture.
Wale said any future regional framework must be built on Pacific priorities, guided by Pacific values and consistently applied in engagements with development partners.
“As leaders, we should never shy away from considering bold ideas that strengthen our collective security and provide greater certainty for future generations,” he said.
Wale suggested exploring stronger regional mechanisms that would reinforce the security principles already agreed upon by Pacific leaders while ensuring decisions affecting the region are led by Pacific countries themselves.
“Our objective should remain unchanged—to ensure that decisions affecting the security of our Blue Pacific are shaped first and foremost by us, as a region,” he said.
Wale also called on leaders to show greater ambition and visionary leadership to leave a lasting legacy for future generations.
He urged Forum members to protect the annual Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting as the region’s premier decision-making platform and prevent it from being undermined by outside interests.
“We must jealously guard our leaders meeting as the single most important regional platform our leaders have each year,” Wale said.
He also proposed the establishment of a regional mechanism that would safeguard the Pacific’s collective security, support the aspirations of the Ocean of Peace initiative, encompass the principles of the Boe Declaration and utilise the processes established under the Biketawa Declaration.
Wale reminded leaders that regionalism extends beyond institutions and agreements.
“Regionalism is not simply the work of our institutions. It is who we are as Pacific peoples,” he said.
Photo credit: PINA (Pacific Islands News Association)
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