The recent visit by the Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne to Honiara does not go down well with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) President Charles Dausabea.
Mr. Dausabea questioned why the Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison choose not to visit the Solomon Islands and instead sent the Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to visit Solomon Islands while the the Prime Minister has time to visit Vanuatu and Fiji.
PPP President told the Solomon Star in Auki in an exclusive interview this week that the visit by Australian Foreign Minister to Solomon Islands instead of the Australian Prime Minister is a clear indication that Australia does not think highly of Solomon Islands as a sovereign state.
He said while Australia might have its own explanation of why she sees it fit to send its Foreign Minister to Honiara instead of the her Prime Minister, Mr. Dausabea vows that Australia has undermined Solomon Islands as a sovereign state in this manner.
“The way Australian Prime Minister avoided Solomon Islands in his visit indicates that Australia already has Solomon Islands in its back pocket. That is why she only sent us the Foreign Minister instead of the Prime Minister.
“Australia sent their Prime Minister to Vanuatu and Fiji in a bid to control the two pacific islands the way it did to Solomon Islands,” he claimed.
With that, Mr. Dausabea is calling on the Australia Prime Minister to apologies to Solomon Islands for not visiting the country.
The last visit by any Australian Prime Minister to Solomon Island was made by Kevin Rudd.
By WILSON SAENI
In Auki
