CLAY FORAU COMMENDS P.I.F GENEVA OFFICE
Clay Forau has commended the PIF Geneva office during his recent visit. Photo: Courtesy of National Parliament.
The Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Hon. Clay Forau Soalaoi has commended the role of the Pacific Islands Forum, P-I-F, Office during a visit to the Office in Geneva last Monday.
The PIF Office has been providing advice on world trade issues to Pacific countries and has been supporting Minister Forau in his role as Chair of the Pacific Islands World Trade Organisation,WTO, group.
Minister Forau, particularly, welcomed a study that would assist the Pacific in deciding how to approach negotiations on the post Bali Work Program.
Minister Forau also expressed interest in the opportunity to promote Solomon Islands products at SIAL 2014 and requested that information on this be forwarded to his office in Honiara.
Meanwhile, staff of the PIFS Office have briefed Minister Forau on three major areas including the role of the office, the current state of play in the implementation of Bali Ministerial Decisions and the development of a Post-Bali Work Programme on remaining issues under the Doha Development Agendas, DDA, which should be ready by December 2014.
The Office highlighted that the WTO Ministerial Decision on the Bali Package in particular, the decisions on Least Developed Countries would benefit Solomon Islands.
The Minister was also informed that the Office will be commissioning a study to recommend an approach to identify key priorities for the Pacific in the development of the post Bali Work program.
His delegation was also briefed by Ms Robyn Ekstrom, Trade Promotion Adviser for the Pacific Islands Trade & Investment group on opportunities for Solomon Islands exporters to exhibit at the world’s largest food and beverage trade fair, SIAL 2014 which will be held in October in Paris, France.
The PIFs Permanent Representative, Ms. Mere Falemaka assured Mr Forau of the continued collaboration between the PIFS-Geneva office and Solomon Islands Missions in Geneva and Brussels respectively.