Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama has hailed the United Arab Emirates endeavour to help Pacific countries achieve the economic development.

The UEA Interact News Agency reported that this came in a meeting held on Tuesday between the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi and Commodore Bainimarama.

It said the meeting discussed the bilateral economic relations between the two countries and also explored investment and developmental projects in Fiji and ways to finance them to achieve sustainable socio-economic development in Fiji.

The meeting took place at the sidelines of the Arab Pacific Countries Foreign Ministers meeting, which will be hosted by the UAE today and tomorrow.

Al Suwaidi said the meeting comes in line with the initiative launched by the UAE to boost joint cooperation with Pacific Island countries, indicating that the initiative has earmarked US$50 million to fund projects and the developmental partnerships with Pacific countries, which is supervised by ADFD.

He added that the initiative includes infrastructure projects to tackle a number of environmental and economic problems.

The historic meeting of Arab League leaders and Pacific Island Nations gets underway in Abu Dhabi later today.