The Prime Minister of Tonga, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, will continue to serve as Acting Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs throughout the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga. Despite holding several key portfolios, including Prime Minister, Minister for Education & Training, and Minister for Police, Hu’akavameiliku assured the public during a press conference this week that he has the support of nine other ministers to manage the workload.
Addressing concerns about his ability to handle multiple roles, he stated, “The meeting with the leaders is a priority, but if a Foreign Minister wants to have a dialogue that is important enough, then it will go to the head [Minister].”
Since the resignation of Hon. Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu as Minister for Foreign Affairs in March 2024, no new appointments have been made, leaving Hu’akavameiliku to oversee these responsibilities.
The upcoming Forum will be attended by prominent figures such as UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland. Additionally, delegations from Azerbaijan, Lesotho, and Uganda will participate, with Azerbaijan’s President-Designate of COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, addressing the leaders.
