Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama today extended his warmest congratulations to the 46th President-Elect of the United States of America, Mr Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. and his running mate, Vice President-Elect Ms Kamala Devi Harris on winning the country’s 2020 Presidential Election.

Prime Minister Bainimarama, in a congratulatory letter to the President-Elect, said; “On behalf of the People and the Government of the Republic of Fiji, I extend to you our warmest congratulations on your election as the 46th President of the United States of America. We also congratulate your running mate, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, on her historic ascension as the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States of America”.

“People the world over look to the United States to be an example of democracy in action—proof that a free people can resolve disagreements and even conflicts by exercising the rights given to them in their Constitution.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenge to all democracies, and we congratulate the American people on the way the country adapted its complex electoral system to the realities of the day.

“Fiji and the United States have built a strong partnership that is founded on shared interests, mutual respect, and deep people-to-people connections. We have worked closely with the United States in our peacekeeping efforts through the United Nations, and we welcome a strong American presence in the Pacific to help maintain a peaceful and secure Blue Pacific.”

The Head of the Fijian Government added that Mr Biden’s campaign embodied a message of unity that all Fijians cherish.

“Like the United States, Fiji is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. We understand that our strength is drawn from ability to work together and forge common national purpose. Whether it is addressing the climate emergency or building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic, the international community must commit to unity, cooperation and solidarity if our collective effort is to succeed,” he said.

“Fiji warmly welcomes your commitment to an inclusive, sustainable global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating effect on the economies of small island developing states.

“We also offer you our wholehearted support as you reassert American leadership in protecting the health of our oceans; preserving biodiversity and our environment, and addressing climate change, including through your pledge to re-enter the Paris Agreement. The climate emergency is an existential crisis in the Pacific, and we badly need American leadership back at the helm of the international campaign to limit global temperature rise.”

Mr Biden earlier announced that his administration, will rejoin the Paris Agreement in exactly 77 days.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bainimarama has extended an invitation to Mr Biden to visit Fiji during our chairmanship of the Pacific Forum in August 2021 and become the first US President to do so.

“It would be our pleasure to host you and show you first-hand how Fijians are coping with climate impacts while also leading the world by example towards a net-zero future,” he said.