Fiji, Monaco establish diplomatic ties

Fiji and Monaco have established diplomatic relations, the Fijian government announced Thursday. Peter Thomson, Fiji's permanent representative to the United Nations and his Monaco counterpart Isabelle Picco signed a joint communique establishing diplomatic relations between the two states at the Fiji Mission to the United Nations on Thursday (Fiji time), according to Fiji's Ministry of Information. The communique expresses the desire of Fiji and Monaco to establish their diplomatic relations in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, guided by the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter and international law. It calls for the promotion of mutual understanding and the strengthening of friendship and cooperation between Monaco and Fiji. Following the formalization ceremony, Thomson and Picco held talks on areas of common interest to their two countries at the UN, focusing on the priority placed by both upon good stewardship of oceanic resources. They assured each other of the mutual support of their missions in the furtherance of common causes in multilateral affairs.