Australiaโs Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Richard Marles, has concluded his visit to Honiara after meeting with the Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister of Solomon Islands for talks on the bilateral relationship.
Deputy Prime Minister Marles met the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, the Honourable Jeremiah Manele, to discuss a range of topics including the Solomon Islands Governmentโs preparations for the upcoming 50th anniversary of independence in 2028.
Deputy Prime Minister Marles congratulated Prime Minister Manele on the upcoming celebrations, and conveyed Australiaโs focus on delivering key Solomon Islands Government priorities, including the RSIPF Academy and other key infrastructure, with this important milestone in mind.
The two leaders also reviewed Australiaโs support to Solomon Islands across a wide range of sectors, including education, connectivity, energy, rural development, the community partnerships program, health, and policing.
Deputy Prime Minister Marles also met the Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Frederick Kologeto, for further discussions covering the bilateral security partnership and a number of key economic cooperation priorities, including tourism, agriculture, resource management, and the Tina River Hydropower Station.
While in Honiara, Deputy Prime Minister Marles handed over four high-spec Parrot drones to the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of Solomon Islands.
The drones will boost Solomon Islandsโ sovereign disaster management capability by giving NDMO the technical capacity to conduct aerial assessments of disaster areas, and to improve search and rescue operations immediately after disaster strikes.
Speaking at the launch event at Aola wharf in Honiara, Deputy Prime Minister Marles said the drones represented โa symbol of the friendship and the partnership between Solomon Islands and Australia.โ
โBecause they demonstrate that in the most difficult and darkest of moments, both our countries stand shoulder to shoulder with each other.โ
The Australian Defence Force provided training for NDMO officers to operate the drones, ensuring Solomon Islands can operate them as a sovereign capability.
The equipment is part of Australiaโs broader support to the humanitarian sector, which will support the construction of two new humanitarian warehouses in the Solomon Islands to be built in Honiara and Auki.
End///
[AHC]
