New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters says although refugees in Nauru are a concern – he doesn’t want it to hijack the Pacific Islands Forum.
NGO groups have been pressuring leaders to get conditions for refugees in Nauru on the agenda.
But Peters says he hasn’t gone to Nauru to talk about that issue.
“What we're not going to do is hijack the whole purpose of a huge part of the world that is a blue conference, so to speak. It is critical that we get our agenda completed as well.”
Peters attended the forum’s official opening ceremony last night.
He’s expected to have his first bilateral meeting with his new Australian counterpart, Marise Payne today.
The agenda will focus on regional security, climate change, and transnational crime syndicates.
Photo by Government of Samoa Press Secretariat. Caption: New Zealand Foreign Minister, Winston Peters arrives in Nauru for the PIF meeting