Fiji's Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola has called on members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group to continue working together for the common goal of regional co-operation and integration.
Ratu Inoke made the call at the MSG Foreign Ministers meeting in New Caledonia which precedes the annual Leaders Summit that gets underway on Wednesday.
At this summit, Fiji is handing over the chairmanship of the MSG to New Caledonia's FLNKS movement.
Ratu Inoke says MSG states should not be too concerned about what other countries outside the group think of them, and that the members must determine common goals and cooperate in activities that enhance their cooperation and integration.
Taking stock of the MSG's achievements under Fiji's chairmanship over the past two years, Ratu Inoke alluded to the signing of the MOU on Skills Movement Scheme by MSG leaders last year, and also the agreement on Cultural Cooperation and the framework Treaty on Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Culture.