Solomon Islands strengthened its partnership with Australia at the second series of its bilateral ‘Senior Officials Talks’ (SOTs) between government officials, held in Brisbane, Australia, on 15 August 2023.
This was the second round of Senior Officials Talks (SOTs) held this year, with the inaugural bilateral engagement held in March earlier this year.
The SOTs was co-chaired by Mr. Collin Beck, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, and Ms. Elizabeth Peak, Head of Office of the Pacific, of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia.
The SOTs was convened as a vital feature of Solomon Islands -Australia’s agreed bilateral architecture, to continue the spirit of partnership, take stock of developments, and identify opportunities for collective action on mutual priorities.
MFAET Permanent Secretary Collin Beck, acknowledged the renewed friendship and frequency of bilateral engagements with Australia.
Mr Beck further expressed, the SOTs enabled shared values and commitments between the two countries to progress in the various sectors of development, including on development, climate change, renewable energy, democracy and elections, economic opportunities and security.
The Solomon Islands delegation also acknowledged Australia’s budget support of SBD $12M towards the government’s efforts in addressing its budgetary and economic policy priorities.
The agreed outcomes of the Senior Officials Talks identified key strategic points of action in strengthening the bilateral relations between Solomon Islands and Australia, anticipating major events including the Pacific Games later this year, and the National General Elections in 2024.