26 Jun 2017

As RAMSI ends, Solomon Islanders look to the future

From Morning Report, 6:45 am on 26 June 2017

A former Solomon Islands foreign affairs minister says the departure of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands this week is an opportunity for the country to shape its own future.

A week of ceremonies and events to farewell and thank the mission for 14 years of peacebuilding work began on Sunday with a national prayer service and will see ministerial delegations from all over the Pacific converge on the capital Honiara later this week.

Laurie Chan who was foreign affairs minister from 2002 to 2006 and saw in the arrival of RAMSI in 2003, told Koroi Hawkins the mission has achieved what it came to do.

The Solomon Islands flag

The Solomon Islands flag Photo: RNZI