Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa will make her first official visit to Australia on Monday, the Australian Government has announced.

A statement issued on Saturday by the Office of the Prime Minister of Australia stated that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome Prime Minister Fiamē to Australia from 20-25 March as a guest of the Australian Government.

“I am delighted to welcome Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa to Australia," Mr. Albanese said in the statement.

“As members of the Pacific family, Australia and Samoa share a special bond based on a long history of cooperation and kinship.

“Our countries enjoy strong personal links with nearly 98,000 people of Samoan descent calling Australia home.

“I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Fiamē to Australia and strengthening our cooperation in areas including economic development, labour mobility, climate and regional security.”

The statement said Australia and Samoa are close partners with a longstanding relationship that is underpinned by mutual respect and trust. The Prime Ministers will discuss ways to strengthen their partnership and regional cooperation in support of a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient Blue Pacific.

Australia also acknowledged the scale of the climate change challenge facing the Pacific and said that it is committed to keep working with Samoa on climate resilience and on sustainable development. This will be the first official visit to Australia by a Prime Minister of Samoa since 2019.

It is understood Prime Minister Fiamē will stop over in Australia on her return from London, United Kingdom where she attended the 22nd Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting last week.