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Fiji congratulates Tuvalu on 37th independence anniversary

Xinhua, September 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has sent a congratulatory message to Tuvaluan Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga on Tuvalu's 37th independence anniversary, the Fijian government announced Wednesday.

"Even in a worst-case scenario, you will never be climate refugees because our door is open to you," Bainimarama said, reaffirming Fiji's commitment to allow Tuvaluans to settle in Fiji in the event that climate change would force them out of their country, according to Fiji's Department of Information.

Tuvalu has set the tone for the forthcoming United Nations Climate Conference in Paris, France with its powerful statement that the discussions should not be about where the people of Tuvalu and other threatened nations should go but taking measures to allow them to stay, Bainimarama said.

"I fully share your conviction that the Pacific island nations cannot tolerate a defeatist attitude that accepts that being swamped by rising sea levels is inevitable," he said.

"The global community must choose the survival of Tuvalu and other threatened Pacific nations over the economic interests of the industrialized nations. Any other option is unacceptable. And I am convinced that by working closely together, we can make our voices heard," the Fijian prime minister underscored.

Bainimarama highlighted that the relations between the two countries have grown from strength to strength and this is evident after the signing of a number of agreements.

"Last October, we signed the Fiji-Tuvalu Maritime Boundary Treaty and this month, we have reached a new agreement with France on our overlapping exclusive economic zones," Bainimarama said, adding that Fiji looks forward to continuing strengthening the ties between the two countries.

Tuvalu gained independence from British rule in October, 1978. Endi