Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Rick Howenipwella said his country is seeking to rebuild ties with its traditional partners, including the United States and Australia, while adhering to the principle of "friend to all and an enemy to none", Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Howenipwella noted that in recent years some of Solomon Islands' old partners had felt neglected and that the government of new Prime Minister Matthew Weil, who took office in May, would like to renew closer cooperation with these countries.
"We need to rebuild relations," Howenipwella said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Pacific Forum countries in Fiji. Islands.
Wale, who has been critical of China, visited Canberra in July. At that time, the Australian government promised him to work to strengthen bilateral relations amid concerns about Beijing's influence in the Pacific.
Wale also visited Washington last month, where he participated in talks to deepen ties between the Solomon Islands and the United States. A letter of intent was also signed at the time to restore the activities of the US government agency "Peace Corps" in the Solomon Islands.
Wale's government has stepped up its diplomatic contacts at a time when leaders in the Pacific region face growing strategic competition between China and Western partners. Pacific Islands Forum ministers are meeting in Fiji's capital Suva to discuss regional leadership and other issues.
Howenipwella said there was consensus on the agenda for the meeting so far.
He stressed that efforts to restore his country's ties with its traditional partners do not change the general principle of foreign policy "a friend to all and an enemy to none."