Viet Nam, Solomon islands broaden cooperation in fisheries and marine environmental protection

The meeting took place one day after the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam and the Solomon Islands, on behalf of their respective governments, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a bilateral cooperation framework in Hanoi. This document inaugurates a new phase of cooperation between Viet Nam and the Solomon Islands across numerous fields, including economy, trade, agriculture, fisheries, renewable energy, infrastructure, education, aviation, marine environmental protection, and climate change response.

During the reception, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien welcomed Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka and the delegation to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. He also provided an overview of the Ministry's organizational structure following the merger of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, aiming for unified management of the land, water, forest, marine, and climate sectors.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that, under the cooperation framework MoU signed by the two governments on November 11, Viet Nam is eager to expand collaboration with the Solomon Islands across several areas, particularly sustainable agriculture, fisheries, marine environmental protection, mineral exploitation, and climate change response.

The Deputy Minister proposed a series of specific cooperation directions, including the transfer of climate-adaptive cultivation and livestock techniques, the development of organic farming models and small-scale agricultural product processing, and cooperative research on drought- and salinity-tolerant crops and smart farming. In the aquaculture sector, Viet Nam is ready to assist the Solomon Islands with technical support for cultivating seaweed, shrimp, and freshwater fisheries, as well as sharing experiences in resource management, seafood traceability, and developing post-harvest processing infrastructure.

Regarding marine environmental protection, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien suggested that the two sides collaborate on projects to conserve coral reefs and mangrove forests, share experiences in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), and establish a monitoring and early warning network for pollution, oil spills, and ocean plastic waste. He also proposed developing joint projects on "nature-based solutions" such as mangrove planting, lagoon restoration, and the construction of ecological dikes, while also enhancing capacity for hydro-meteorological forecasting and disaster management.

Additionally, the two parties could cooperate in sustainable mineral exploitation, technology transfer for waste treatment, environmental restoration after mining, and sharing state management experience in licensing and supervising mineral activities. Viet Nam also hopes to work with the Solomon Islands to research and map climate risks, and implement models for controlling coastal erosion and sea-level rise.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that Viet Nam is ready to host a Viet Nam-Solomon Islands Agriculture Forum to connect businesses from both sides, develop agricultural product value chains, and promote investment in potential areas.

In response, Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka praised Viet Nam's role in the Asia-Pacific region, especially its achievements in green agriculture development, climate change adaptation, and marine resource management. He affirmed the Solomon Islands' readiness to coordinate with Viet Nam to implement specific cooperation projects in agriculture, fisheries, and marine environmental protection, thereby contributing to the promotion of friendly relations between the two nations.

"Based on the cooperation framework agreed upon by the two governments, the Solomon Islands looks forward to close coordination to materialize specific cooperation areas," Minister Agovaka said.

He confirmed that the Solomon Islands will actively coordinate to implement substantive cooperation activities in the coming time, particularly in human resource training, agricultural development, and marine environmental protection.

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien expressed confidence that the Viet Nam-Solomon Islands cooperation will deepen, offering practical contributions to the sustainable development of both nations.

During the meeting with Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka on November 11 at the Government Office, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the greetings of General Secretary To Lam and Vietnamese leaders to the senior leadership of Solomon, and welcomed the Minister on his first official visit to Vietnam - also the highest-level engagement between the two countries since diplomatic relations were established in 1996.

The Prime Minister recalled the positive outcomes of his meeting with Solomon’s Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele on June 9 on the sidelines of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice, France, and proposed that the two sides enhance high-level and other delegation exchanges, establish consultation mechanisms between relevant ministries and sectors, and promote people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding.