French ambassador discusses cooperation in Vanuatu

Véronique Roger-Lacan, the French Ambassador for the Pacific, visited Vanuatu for four days. During her trip, she met with officials from the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat in Port Vila. Roger-Lacan also held discussions with Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat. The talks covered various areas of cooperation between Vanuatu and France, including education, culture, and language. One focus of the discussions was New Caledonia and its ongoing relationship with the MSG. The MSG has criticized France for its management of the recent self-determination referendum in New Caledonia. The MSG, established in 1986, includes Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea as full members. The pro-independence movement FLNKS from New Caledonia is also a member. Roger-Lacan's visit follows recent talks between France’s Ambassador in Vanuatu, Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, and Vanuatu's new Trade Minister, Samson Samsen. They are exploring a free trade agreement between Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Jeangène Vilmer mentioned that a delegation of business leaders from New Caledonia will visit Port Vila soon to discuss business opportunities. New Caledonia is just 500 kilometers away from Vanuatu, and around 2,000 Ni-Vanuatu live and work there.