Fiji, Burundi establish diplomatic ties

Fiji and Burundi have established diplomatic ties, the Fijian government announced Saturday.

At the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations in New York earlier this week, Peter Thomson, Fiji's permanent representative to the UN and his Burundi counterpart Hermenegilde Niyonzima signed a joint communique establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations.

"The communique conveys the agreement of both states for their diplomatic relations to be guided by the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, particularly on equality among states, respect for national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, and respect for international treaties," Fiji's Department of Information said in a statement.

"The communique expresses the desire of both states to promote and strengthen bonds of friendship and cooperation between their two countries in political, economic, cultural, humanitarian and other fields," said the statement.

Following the normalization ceremony, the two ambassadors held talks on areas of common interests between the two countries and potential areas of cooperation at the United Nations.

In line with the Look North policy, Fiji has been expanding its diplomatic ties across the globe. So far, the Pacific island country has established diplomatic relations with over 170 countries in the world. Endi