Empty chairs and big questions as Pacific leaders gather in Palau

The arrivals are building at Palau’s Roman Tmetuchl International Airport.

But some of the most important seats at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting will remain empty in Koror.

New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters, says the absences are disappointing.

But he adds they should not take away from the importance of the region’s biggest political gathering.

“It’s not the Pacific way to rub injury in the sense that you suggest I answer," Peters told journalists.

"But it’s a disappointment. And that’s what our position is.”

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, arrives in Palau for the Pacific Islands leaders forum. Photo/Facebook/Pacific Islands Forum

Several Pacific leaders have pulled out of the 55th Forum Leaders Meeting for different reasons.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale returned home after a no-confidence motion was lodged against him.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat, and Sāmoa Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt are also not attending, with health and other reasons given.

Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Penitala Teo, and Mrs Teo arrive in Palau for PIF Leaders meeting. Photo/Facebook/Pacific Islands Forum

Peters says while some of the absences are understandable, the regional delegations in Palau remain strong.

“For some it’s understandable. For some, I know there’s perhaps health reasons,” he said.

He pointed to Sāmoa’s delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa ‘Ale Molio’o, saying “in the main, the delegations are of the highest standard".

But the empty chairs have raised questions about whether the Forum can deliver the united regional voice it has often promised.

Oliver Nobetau, Lowy Institute Pacific Islands Program director, told The Guardian the withdrawals “dulls the flame” of what had been shaping up as a significant meeting.

Peters rejects the idea that the Forum’s influence is being weakened.

Prime Minister of Tonga, Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua, arrives in Palau. Photo/Facebook/Pacific Islands Forum

“The centrality of the Pacific Islands Forum is not going to be compromised because of this," he says.

For Aotearoa, one of the key issues in Palau is a proposed NZ$500 million resilience fund for the Pacific.

Peters says work on the fund has been delayed by the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz but is now “back on track within time”.

The significant announcement is expected in the coming days, he says.

Peters also warned that foreign interference remains a serious issue for the region.

“You’d be defying gravity and logic if you said it wasn’t a big problem,” he said, pointing to wider competition over freedom, democracy, and the right to worship.

Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr, left, with Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa ahead of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau. Photo/Facebook/Office of the President, Republic of Palau

The comments come as Pacific leaders face growing pressure to manage a more crowded geopolitical space while keeping the region’s own priorities at the centre.

Transnational crime will also be high on the agenda, with Peters describing discussions with Palau and Sāmoa as evidence of how serious and costly the issue has become.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also attending the Forum and told the Queensland Labor conference in Brisbane that Australia has “a key role to play, as a partner and leader” in the Pacific.

That comes as Australia deepens its security ties with Pacific countries including a new security agreement with Fiji.

For Pacific leaders, the challenge now is turning the big regional agenda into action.

Climate resilience, security, transnational crime, economic development and regional unity are all on the table.

Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi arrives for PIF Leaders Forum in Palau. Photo/Facebook/Pacific Islands Forum

Asked whether the Forum needs to produce more than talk, Peters offered a Pacific-style answer.

“We have a Polynesian version of that and it’s called less hui and more doey.”

The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting runs from 31 August to 4 September in Koror, Palau. For more details, click here.

PMN News political reporter Thomas Tarurongo Wynne is in Koror to cover the summit and bring Pacific audiences the latest from the Leaders Meeting.