Posted on 02 February 2023
The prime minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed on Monday that he had received word from the president of Kiribati, Taneti Maamau, that the country would return to the Pacific Islands Forum.
This comes after a visit by Rabuka to Kiribati earlier in January, during which the Fijian delegation carried out a traditional ceremony, apologising to Maamau.
“The traditional ceremonies of the ‘boka’, ‘isevusevu’ and apology accorded to the people of the small island nation were significant in our efforts to promote regionalism within our Pacific vuvale [family],” Rabuka tweeted alongside photos of the ceremonies. “We sought the forgiveness of the people for Fiji’s ‘mistakes of the past in failing to unite the Pacific Islands Forum family’. We are with you as your brothers and sisters, we are with you as one people of the Pacific.”