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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the government did not expect many world leaders to attend the Australian-organised pre-COP summits, after it was revealed that just five heads of state based outside the Pacific will be in attendance.
“We always anticipated when it comes to pre-COP events, there normally aren’t lots of leaders at it. There’ll be ministerial level [attendance],” Albanese told a press conference on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau.
“The fact that the pre-COP is being held in Fiji with side trip to Tuvalu as well is really welcomed, because it will provide a focus on what is happening in the Pacific, and the entry fee for credibility at the Pacific Islands Forum and for bilateral engagement in the Pacific is taking climate change seriously.”
Just five leaders from outside the Pacific are expected to attend the Australia-organised United Nations climate event in Fiji and Tuvalu next month, despite energetic efforts by the Albanese government to secure attendees.
The pre-COP event was organised as part of a compromise deal between Australia and Turkey that will see the main event held in Antalya, Turkey, rather than Adelaide.
Fiji Foreign Minister Sakiasi Ditoka announced on Tuesday afternoon that leaders from Antigua and Barbuda, Cabo Verde, Thailand, Maldives and Timor-Leste had confirmed their attendance at the pre-COP event.
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