BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele Chair of the 54th Pacific Islands Forum defended the terminology used to host the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Honiara without the region’s dialogue partners.

He was responding to a journalist during the Troika press conference on Friday, September 12, 2025 who asked for clarity about what it was like to meet without the region’s dialogue partners.

According to the journalist, prior to the PIF meeting, the exclusion of the region’s dialogue partners has brought headlines, which was also the first time in history.

“Thank you, thank you, but you used the wrong terminology, ‘exclusion’. The terminology that I use is ‘defer’.  Our partners are very important. We recognise their contributions in terms of implementation, cooperation of programs and projects.

“It is also very important for this part of the region to be prepared. We need to be ready in order to effectively engage with our partners going forward. So that was the basis for that issue,” PM Manele said.

He said that different people will have their own assessment in terms of how to define the PIF meeting successfully concluded last week, without the partners dialogue.

“Several leaders told me that it has given them a bit more opportunity to talk with each other, especially attending the dialogue sessions in the private sector, with the agencies, as well as with civil society. A bit more time for us to interact and engage among ourselves. So that’s important as well,” he said.

Manele said that the leaders hoped the partnership policy that would be worked on this year and be ready before Palau going forward.

“So that comes to Palau, we can re-engage with our partners. But it’s not only through the forum process that our partners are engaged. We also engage with our partners on the Palau avenues and on forums. So that engagement continues. We will follow the engagement with our partners and on the forum, but also through ongoing arrangements and international regional arrangements,” PM Manele said.

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