Fiji, Grenada establish diplomatic relations

Fiji and Grenada have established diplomatic relations, the Fijian government announced Wednesday.

At a ceremony at the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations in New York, the United States earlier this week, Peter Thomson, Fiji's permanent representative to the UN and his Grenadian counterpart Denis Antoine signed a joint communique establishing diplomatic relations between the two island countries, according to Fiji's Department of Information.

"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," the department 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," the statement added.

Following the formalization ceremony, the two ambassadors held talks on areas of common interest between their two countries and potential areas of cooperation at the UN. With both ambassadors being founding members of the Group of Friends of Oceans and Seas at the UN, their talks covered measures to ensure the safeguarding of the sustainable development goal on the sustainable use of marine resources.

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