Maritime border treaty

When presenting his remarks during the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Sogavare acknowledged the ‘deep respect for sovereign rights’ upheld during the long peaceful process of negotiating the eventual border demarcations.

Mr Sogavare said the Treaty expresses ‘our desire to uphold and respect our unique Melanesian traditions, customs and cultures in a globalising world’.

RNZ reports the prime minister of Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare is being hosted by his Vanuatu counterpart for the occasion which is to take place in Vanuatu's Torba province on Friday.

If signed on Friday the treaty would mark the end of 32 years of negotiations and extensive technical groundwork.

This was not only to define the border coordinates but also take into consideration resource rights between the two countries given the Exclusive Economic Zones of both countries overlap significantly between Solomon Islands Temotu Province and Vanuatu's Torba.