Solomon Islands and Vanuatu hold maritime boundary talks

Officials from the governments of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have resumed bilateral talks on the two countries maritime boundaries this week in Honiara.

The Vanuatu delegation is led by the Director General of their Ministry of Foreign Affairs Johnny Koanapo while the Solomon Islands delegation is headed by the Acting Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Joseph Ma’ahanua.

The  pending  maritime  boundaries  are located in  the  South  Eastern  part  of  the Solomon Islands and the North Eastern part of Vanuatu.

Talks  have  been  stalled  over  the  past  years  to  enable  domestic  processes  to prepare both parties to come to the negotiation table.

The resumption of negotiations this week shows the spirit of mutual cooperation that exists between the two Melanesian countries with positive hopes for enhanced cooperation and respect for the sovereignty of each party.

At the opening of the meeting, the two delegations reiterated their commitment to work together to conclude these negotiations on maritime issues

The meeting will end today.