Fiji’s Russian arms deal a wake-up call for NZ

Fiji’s Russian arms deal a wake-up call for NZ

New Zealand and Australian defence forces need to rebuild ties with Fiji in the wake of a Russian arms deal with Fiji that highlights a shift in traditional security dynamics in the region, according to a new report.

Titled Principled Engagement: Rebuilding Defence Ties with Fiji, it is co-authored by Massey University’s Dr Anna Powles and senior strategic and security analyst Jose Sousa-Santos, from STRATCON. The recently published report for Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy argues that: “Russia’s sale of arms to Fiji underlines how the security orthodoxy in the Pacific Islands region is changing.

“Unless Australia and New Zealand adapt to these changing strategic circumstances they will lose influence in the region to external players.”

Dr Powles, an expert on international relations based at Massey’s the Centre for Defence and Security Studies in Wellington, says the report is in part a response to Russia’s announcement in January this year that it would be sending military equipment and supplies to Fiji to support Fiji’s peacekeeping operations on the Golan Heights, bordering Syria and Israel.

The arms deal, the authors say, is a direct result of Fiji seeking new strategic partners in the aftermath of New Zealand and Australian-led sanctions imposed after the 2006 military coup in Fiji.

While relations between the three Pacific nations have been normalised since 2014, New Zealand and Australian governments need to raise engagement with Fiji beyond a primarily “soft approach” through disaster relief assistance – although this is important too – the report says.

The authors recommend the creation of a regional peacekeeping centre of excellence jointly developed by New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, and a Pacific disaster response and coordination unit to formalise collaborative ties.

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