A whale's tooth and a local tree root were awarded to President Rivlin at a sympathetic reception ceremony in Fiji • "We were pleased to support Fiji's election to the UN Human Rights Council"
Prime Minister Fiji and Rivlin // Photos: Kobi Gideon / GPO
State President Reuben (Ruby) Rivlin yesterday visited the Fiji State on his way to a state visit to Australia.
During his visit, President Rivlin, together with Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimrema, led a first-of-its-kind summit of the Pacific States, held in the city of Nadi and attended by leaders from Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga and Palau.
Before the summit opened, Rivlin was greeted with a ceremony during which he was given a traditional flower-filled welcome necklace. Throughout the ceremony, honor guard soldiers sat in traditional attire and accompanied the reception with ceremonial vocals. During the ceremony, he was presented to the President of the National Beverage from the Yangon Plant, known as kava, as a signal of friendship between the peoples and a welcome for the President's arrival. During the blessings, Rivlin was given an ancient whale tooth, coconuts in palm-braided baskets, local tree roots, and even lamb prepared for the occasion. It was explained to the President that the gifts symbolically represent the blessing of the Fijian people and the aspiration to strengthen ties between the states. At the end of the ceremony Rivlin held a political working meeting with the Fiji Prime Minister, and at the end of the meeting, the two made joint statements to the media.
In his remarks, President Rivlin noted successful cooperation between the states and thanked the Prime Minister for contributing Fiji to UN peacekeeping forces deployed in the Middle East. "Today, Iran and its affiliates are threatening the State of Israel, alongside spreading terrorism throughout the region and the entire world. Israel will do whatever it takes to protect its citizens from the Iranian threat, "Rivlin said.
The President noted the variety of cooperation between the states, in which Israel assisted Fiji and the Pacific in cases of natural disasters, in the health and security fields of airports and in advanced agriculture studies and water management. "We were also pleased to support Fiji's election to the UN Human Rights Council and your presidency at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. We hope Fiji will stand alongside Israel in gross discrimination against us in the UN, and in particular the Human Rights Council," President Rivlin stressed. Prime Minister Fiji to visit Israel.
Binyarma welcomed Rivlin and said that "despite our small size, Israel and Fiji are clear that our voice is significant and present in the international arena, and we will continue to combine arms to lead to the prosperity of both countries and nations for future generations."