BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Regional solidarity is not just a lofty ideal, but it is a practical necessity today, says SINU Vice Chancellor, Professor Transform Aqorau.
He highlighted this at the recent Pacific Maritime Security Workshop, co-convened by the University of Adelaide and the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) in Honiara.
Aqorau stressed that maritime security means more coordinated operations, shared assets and integrated policies.
“We have promising examples, the Quad Lateral Defence Coordination Group, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Japan, India and France and New Zealand have long combined resources for aerial and naval surveillance across our region,” he said.
Aqorau said their joint patrols and information sharing, often in cooperation with local officers via ship rider programmes, have extended the country’s enforcement reach.
“We welcome these contributions, especially where they operate under our regional frameworks,” he said.
Aqorau said the Pacific Fusion Centre, an outcome of the Boe Declaration, is enhancing how Pacific states pool intelligence on issues from illegal fishing to broader geopolitical trends.
He voiced that the Fusion Centre, alongside the Pacific Coast National Crime Coordination Centre, helps ensure that no piece of critical information falls through the cracks between the region’s national agencies.
Aqorau said the roles of the Pacific Islands Forum and sub-regional the Melanesian Spearhead Group and the Polynesian Leaders Group have become more important than ever to maintain unity and resolve differences internally.
“We have a collective identity and a common purpose reinforced by our Blue Pacific strategy for 2025.We, the people of the Pacific, own our ocean and will decide its fate,” said Aqorau.
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