 | |
 Fiji |  Tuvalu |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| No permanent mission | Tuvaluan High Commission in Suva |
| Envoy | |
| High Commissioner H.E. William Toganivalu | High Commissioner H.E. Dr.Eselealofa Apinelu |
Fiji–Tuvalu relations are diplomatic and other relations betweenFiji andTuvalu.
The countries are neighbours in the vast expanse of thePacific Ocean; Tuvalu lies directly north of Fiji, and they share amaritime border. Tuvalu is by far the smaller, lesser developed and more remote of the two countries, and is therefore dependent on its close relationship with Fiji. The two countries established formaldiplomatic relations in 1979, the year after Tuvalu's independence from the United Kingdom.
Dr.Eselealofa Apinelu is Tuvalu's currentHigh Commissioner to Fiji.[1] On 21 December 2023 William Toganivalu was appointed as Fiji's roving ambassador to the Pacific island countries and territories and agencies of the council of regional organisations in the Pacific.[2]
Both Fiji and Tuvalu are full members of theCommonwealth of Nations.
The countries were first linked together asBritish colonies in the late 19th century, when they both came within the jurisdiction of theBritish Western Pacific Territories, the administrative centre of which was in Fiji.[3] After the Second World War, Tuvalu's first doctors were trained at theFiji School of Medicine, while some of the Tuvaluans from the overcrowded atoll ofVaitupu moved permanently to the island ofKioa, in Fiji, where they and their descendants still live.[3] Fiji remains Tuvalu's gateway to the outside world. The only flights to and fromFunafuti International Airport are viaSuva, onAir Fiji.[4]
When the Commander ofFiji's military, CommodoreVoreqe Bainimarama, took power in Fiji in acoup in 2006, Tuvalu did not join countries such as Australia, New Zealand or Samoa in condemning the new regime. Tuvalu remained supportive of Bainimarama's statements that he would restore democracy on his own schedule.[5] Akuila Yabaki, of the Citizens' Constitutional Forum in Fiji, noted that Tuvalu had little choice in the matter, as it was heavily dependent on maintaining good relations with Fiji.[6]
In 2013,Sir Gordon Ward, a British national serving asChief Justice of Tuvalu, was a denied avisa by the Fijian government to transit via Fiji on his flight to Tuvalu. Ward had previously sat as a judge inFiji's Court of Appeal, before resigning in protest against the 2006 coup. As there are no flights into Tuvalu other than through Fiji, Tuvalu's Chief Justice was unable to enter Tuvalu. Fiji remained unresponsive to Tuvalu's attempts to resolve the matter, although the incident was said not to have severely affected bilateral relations.[7]
In October 2014, the Prime Ministers of Fiji and Tuvalu signed the Fiji-Tuvalu Maritime Boundary Treaty, which establishes the extent of the national areas of jurisdiction between Fiji and Tuvalu as recognized in international law under the 1982United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.[8]
In December 2014, a technical agreement was signed between Fiji, Tuvalu and France at theCommonwealth Secretariat's headquarters in London overmaritime boundaries. This agreement usessatellite data to pinpoint where the waters of Fiji, Tuvalu and the French territories ofWallis and Futuna meet. The agreement will help the countries to defend their waters fromillegal fishing operations and provide clarity over rights to marine natural resources.[9]
Fiji continues to provide most of Tuvaluans' higher education and vocational training, through theUniversity of the South Pacific (USP) and theFiji National University.[3] Tuvalu does not have its own universities. Students attending the USP at its campus inFunafuti, Tuvalu, rather than its main campus in Fiji, "can listen to lectures broadcast from Fiji, use audio and video-conferencing facilities and employ the USPNet system for communication with lecturers and other students".[10]
Tuvalu's High Commission building is inSuva. Fiji in turn does not maintain any diplomatic presence in Tuvalu,[11] but does have a "roving ambassador" accredited to ten independent Pacific Island states, including Tuvalu.[2]
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