Tikoduadua to meet with Fijian contingents stationed in Middle-East as part of official overseas mission

Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua will be embarking on an official overseas mission where he will meet with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces soldiers currently serving on peacekeeping deployments, Europe and the United States, with a dual focus to reaffirm Fiji’s commitment to international peace and security.

The overseas mission starts today and ends on the 25th of May.

According to the Ministry for Defence, the Minister’s mission will begin with visits to Fijian contingents deployed with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Jerusalem and Tiberias.

They say while there, Tikoduadua will engage directly with Fijian troops, receive operational briefings and express the Government’s deep appreciation for their professionalism, service and sacrifice.

They also say the Minister will then travel to the Multinational Force and Observers Headquarters in Sharm-El-Sheikh and later to Rome, where he will continue engagements with Fijian personnel and senior mission leadership, including the Director General of the MFO.

The Defence Ministry says the Minister will also attend the 2025 Ministerial Peacekeeping Meeting in Berlin, where he is scheduled to meet with senior officials from the United Nations and defence counterparts from key partner nations—namely Germany, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India, and the Republic of Korea.

They add in Washington D.C., the Minister will participate in a series of official meetings aimed at strengthening defence and security cooperation and advancing discussions on support for Fiji’s veterans and defence reforms.

The Ministry says this mission is a clear demonstration of Fiji’s enduring role on the global stage, not only as a committed peacekeeping nation but as one that values and uplifts the men and women who serve under its flag.

It says their contribution to international peace and representation of Fijian values—discipline, courage, and service—is a source of national pride.