Fiji Prime Minister congratulates Samoa on Diamond Jubilee Year

Staff Reporters

APIA, SAMOA – 02 JUNE 2023: Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has congratulated Samoa on “the successful completion of your Diamond Jubilee year and also as you begin this 61st year as an independent nation. I am sure that you have still greater things to come.”

Representing Fiji in Samoa’s independence celebrations this week, Prime Minister Rabuka was the guest speaker at the Government Independence luncheon yesterday.

He cited his own personal difficult journey to correlate with Samoa’s struggle for independence.

At the time Samoa was celebrating its independent in 1962, he was a first year student at Queens Victoria School.

“In your celebration, I also saw many things that I could have celebrated. I did not foresee at the beginning, but when you walk through the difficult periods, the difficult spells, the difficult international relationships that we had, I had a difficult relationship with my neighbours further away than Samoa. You realise that you had gone through all the difficult patches. You survived, but not only survived, you succeeded,” said Rabuka.

He said the world knows where Samoa is and everybody knows about Samoan sportsmen and women.

“I congratulate you for a successful completion of your diamond jubilee year and also as you begin this 61st year as an independent nation. I am sure that you have still greater things to come.”

Rabuka who resumed Fiji’s financial commitment to the regional University of the South Pacific since taking office, is visiting the University Campus at Alafua this afternoon.