Summarised by Centrist
At the 10th Japan – Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters called for the Pacific Islands Forum to act as a “constructive force” in resolving the escalating crisis in New Caledonia.
Addressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Peters noted the unrest caused by riots and armed clashes between indigenous Kanak pro-independence protesters and security forces in Nouméa.
He said the controversial 2021 independence referendum and recent French government actions affecting voting rights had caused ‘democratic injury’ on both sides.
Peters pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and escalating tensions in the Middle East, as factors destabilising global security.
Peters cited “three big shifts” facing the international order. These include a shift to a multipolar world; a shift to a less stable and more militarised global environment; and a shift in the drivers of economic behaviour, and where building greater resilience and addressing pressing social and sustainability issues become more prominent.
