Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama arrived in Sydney late yesterday to attend the Fiji Day celebrations in Sydney tomorrow and also attend business council meetings with Australian investors.
Bainimarama is visiting Sydney after a request by the Fijian community organizing the Fiji Day celebrations.
Bainimarama and his wife, Mary will also attend a church service at Saint Anthony’s Parish in Marsfield on Sunday.
They will also meet members of the Fijian community after the service.
Meanwhile News.com.au reports that there are further signs of thawing relations between Australia and Fiji with Voreqe Bainimarama making a surprise rock star style entrance to Australia yesterday.
The Australian website says that Bainimarama looked comfortable, as with a huge entourage he arrived at Sydney Airport to chat amicably with strangers, pose for selfies and even sign autographs.
Despite there being no Federal or State government senior official to greet him off the plane or at the air hub, Bainimarama told News Corp Australia he was happy to be in the country and it was a continuation of strengthening relations between the two countries.
There were signs of improving relations when Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visited post the devastating Cyclone Winston earlier this year and again last month when Malcolm Turnbull became the first Australian prime minister to be photographed with a Fijian leader in a decade when the pair met at the UN in New York last month.
Bainimarama says the relations are strong, he is in Australia for trade talks and understands why Turnbull or one of his senior ministers were not available to greet him.
The Prime Minister confirms that there are no talks with Turnbull as they are having Parliament at the moment.
Bainimarama says there will only be trade talks and he is addressing a trade seminar.
The Fijian Prime Minister adds that the talks he had with Turnbull in New York were good.
He has also invited Turnbull to join him to celebrate Fiji’s Independence Day in Sydney tomorrow.
News.com.au reports that Turnbull’s office declined to comment on why no one official greeted the Fijian leader nor whether the leaders were planning to meet.
Industry and Trade Minister Faiyaz Koya who is also part of the Fijian delegation said that he is keen to promote Fiji again in Australia as an investment destination to grow the economic base particularly through agriculture and tourism.
Bainimarama visited Australia last year but this trip would include his first ever visit as leader to New Zealand following an invitation by NZ Prime Minister, John Key.
