Vanuatu's head of state says the Pacific region's partnership with Europe must prioritise the needs of island communities.
Vanuatu president Tallis Obed Moses Photo: Dan McGarry
The 14th Pacific Regional Meeting of the African Carribean and Pacific Group's Joint Parliamentary Assembly with the European Union has begun in Vanuatu's capital.
Opening the meeting, Vanuatu's new president Obed Moses Tallis called for stronger relations between the ACP group and the EU.
He said the Pacific's partnership with the EU was crucial, but that member governments should identify ways to ensure the partnership served the needs of the people.
The Port Vila meeting comes amid protracted negotiations towards economic partnership agreements between the ACP's Pacific bloc and the EU.
Meanwhile, according to Vanuatu's Daily Post, the speaker of parliament, Esmon Saimon, said the meeting would allow the Europeans to gain better appreciation of the realities and challenges of everyday life in the Pacific.