The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Henry Puna, says the sound management of the Pacific Ocean's resources is the driving force for investigations into seabed mining.
Mr Puna, who is the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, presented the annual Forum Leader's Lecture in Suva last night, saying seabed mining is a new frontier where the region needs to blend caution and optimism.
Mr Puna says while the Cook Islands has amassed nearly four decades of knowledge on sea bed mining it remains the case that deepsea mining is new territory.
He says the Pacific can claim an increasingly more positive outlook through the promise of new levels of cooperation in sharing experiences and information.
"With our nations integrated in close consultation, we can build the seabed mining knowledge base by drawing on the invaluable help of partnerships with entities such as the SOPAC Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. The Cook Islands is a willing player in this regard and is prepared to advance the pace on our sharing information on what will become a crucial industry in the future."
The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Henry Puna,
