Historic Samoa meeting fosters Commonwealth unity

Atereano Mateariki Winston Peters | Historic Samoa meeting fosters Commonwealth unity

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Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was a success for both inter-Commonwealth and Samoa relations.

Held last week in Apia, Samoa became the first Pacific Small Island Developing State to host the biennial meeting.

Peters praised the Samoan Government for its excellent hosting of all 56 Commonwealth member countries.

The trip provided him an opportunity to speak with local officials regarding the recovery of the HMNZS Manawanui and visit the site off Upolu Island.

“I got a chance to see the place where the shipping disaster happened, and to have a conversation right on that site with the people who are the politicians in charge, the local member, the minister in charge of these matters, and also with the naval people doing the work in trying to recover the wreck, so to speak, and mitigate its damage. So all in all, it was a very, very successful CHOGM,” says Peters.

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