'Melanesian relationship agreement' endorsed at Bougainville independence talks
Photo:
Facebook / The National Daily
Delegates to this week's deliberations at Burnham Army base in New Zealand over Bougainville's quest for independence from Papua New Guinea placed emphasis on shared values and commitments.
Bougainville's Government has stated that it wants
to be independent by September 2027
.
The critical issue going into these talks centred on the difficulties the autonomous province has faced getting the results of its independence referendum tabled in the PNG parliament.
That referendum vote was overwhelmingly in favour of independence.
The
meeting was closed to media
.
This week's talks, held at what the PNG Prime Minister James Marape
dubbed the "spiritual home of the Bougainville peace process"
led to a recognition of a need for a 'pathway to peace by peaceful means'.
In a statement, the parties reveal they want a solution that is homegrown and maintains a close, peaceful and enduring familial relationship between PNG and Bougainville.
The delegates called this a 'Melanesian Partnership'.
They agreed to the establishment of a bipartisan parliamentary committee on Bougainville, which would aim to inform the country's MPs about the crisis and the subsequent peace process.
The talks concluded with the endorsement of a proposed 'Melanesian relationship agreement' that will be taken to the leaders of PNG and ABG during the last week of June.
The parties and the independent moderator, former New Zealand Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, expressed deep appreciation for the support of the government and people of Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Nations.
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