Samoa's Prime Minister met with Cook Islands Prime Minister and Pacific Islands Forum Chair, Mark Brown on Tuesday in a bilateral meeting before the start of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting.

Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa discussed strengthening regional cooperation and the Polynesian Leaders Group priorities with her Cook Islands counterpart, as well as the main agreement between the European Union and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific states, specifically how the Pacific can effectively implement the EU-Pacific Regional Protocol with Prime Minister Brown also congratulating Fiame on hosting the signing of the Samoa Agreement in Apia next week.

Fiame arrived on Monday evening Apia Time, on a chartered Fiji Airways flight to Rarotonga with other leaders from the Pacific. For the meeting proper, the leaders will fly out to Aitutaki.

The meeting proper will take place as part of the regional leaders' meeting annually to develop collective responses to regional issues and deliver on their vision for a resilient Pacific Region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, that ensures all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy and productive lives.

This year's PIFLM is hosted by the Cook Islands under the theme ‘Our Voices, Our Choices, Our Pacific Way: Promote, Partner, Prosper’.

The Pacific Islands Forum serves as a vital platform for leaders to convene, engage in discussions and agree on policies that will ultimately benefit the people of the region.

This gathering is a unique opportunity for Leaders to address pressing issues and challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent, and foster collaboration and cooperation in the pursuit of shared goals.

The endorsement of an Implementation Plan for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent; Climate Change, including a Regional Framework for climate mobility, the legal establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility and the adoption of a Declaration on the Continuation of Statehood in the Face of Climate-Induced Sea Level Rise; Nuclear related issues; Labour mobility and security issues;

Leaders will also consider the Pacific Partnerships for Prosperity - a key initiative of the Forum Chair that draws from the collective actions of the 2050 Implementation Plan.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday evening (Apia time) the leaders were given a traditional welcome by the Cook Islands government.