Prime Minister Mark Brown arrived in Nadi, Fiji, on Sunday for a series of bilateral and regional engagements focused on the Cook Islands and the Pacific economic resilience and partnerships for prosperity priorities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration said in a statement.

Brown was scheduled to meet with Fiji Airways chief executive officer Andre Viljoen and undertake a tour of the Fiji Airways Aviation Academy yesterday morning. In the afternoon, he was to meet with Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, before being hosted by Secretary General of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Secretariat Henry Puna and the Secretariat team to a ceremonial welcome for Brown in his capacity as PIF Chair.

Today, PM Brown will continue high-level talks with the Fiji Government meeting with Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka, who is also Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, and Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica who is Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications.

Brown will then visit the SPC Suva Regional Office Headquarters and meet Dr. Paula Vivili, the Deputy Director-General Science and Capability for the Pacific Community and Head of SPC’s Suva Regional Office. The Prime Minister will then visit the University of the South Pacific Laucala Campus to meet with Dr. Giulio Masasso Tu'ikolongahau Paunga, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Regional Campuses and Global Engagement.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (Cook Islands time), Brown assumes Forum Chair responsibilities and will chair the annual Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) which is part of the ministerial meetings that will inform the Forum Leaders Meeting that will convene in Rarotonga from 6-10 November.

A meeting of the Forum Troika Leaders will convene on Thursday, involving Brown, as the current chair of the Forum, with Rabuka, the most recent past chair, and Tonga Prime Minister Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, who will be assuming chair responsibilities after Brown.

The Prime Minister is supported on this Fiji mission by Tingika Elikana, Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Finance and Economic Management, Foreign Secretary Tepaeru Herrmann, Financial Secretary Garth Henderson and Cook Islands High Commissioner to Fiji Jim Armistead.