Tuvalu's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taukelina Finikaso, says re-establishing diplomatic relations with Georgia is an important step towards strengthening ties with traditional friends.

In 2011 the previous government decided to recognise Georgia's two breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia and as a result set up diplomatic ties with Russia.

That's now been retracted and the foreign minister recently travelled to Georgia to sign a formal agreement.

Taukelina Finikaso says the former government's decision meant Tuvalu risked isolation, as one of only five countries which recognised those regions.

"Georgia is working towards becoming one of the EU members, and we have very strong bonds with the EU and we have been consistently assisted by the EU over the past few years."

Taukelina Finikaso says they had a drop in assistance from the European Union for this coming cycle and they hope the agreement with Georgia will rectify that in future

Tuvalu has a new speaker after current speaker Sir Kamuta Latasi was outvoted by the Government side.

As predicted his replacement was Tuvalu parliament's latest elected member Otinielu Tauteleimalae Tausi.

Tausi had confirmed to Islands Business after being elected in the Nanumaga by election on January 14 that he was offered the position by Government.

Secretary to Government Panapasi Nelesone said Tausi was elected this morning.  Tausi was Tuvalu's speaker from 2003 to 2006.
Sir Kamuta will now become an Opposition member. 

Prime Minister Enele Sosene Sopoaga moved a motion without notice to remove the Speaker for reasons based around his not being with Government, and that the three pillars of Government cannot operate efficiently if leaders do not share mutual viewpoints.

The motion was well supported by the two thirds of members of
Parliament, currently with Sopoaga's Government.

Latasi acknowledged the support and cooperation of the
country and fellow members of Parliament during his 7 years as
Speaker.

SUVA, Fiji, February, 12, 2013 – United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu, Frankie A. Reed, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Works, Transport and Public Utilities, Commander Francis Kean and University of the South Pacific (USP) Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra, today led the inaugural event for a training program supported by the U.S. Government that will promote clean energy in the Pacific Islands.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Arizona State University (ASU),  is implementing the Vocational Training and Education for Clean Energy (VOCTEC) Program to help improve the sustainability of renewable energy investments and infrastructure in the Pacific region by increasing local awareness, knowledge and capacity in clean energy.

“We are pleased to support this important program which will harness U.S. expertise to help Pacific Island nations sustain solar energy investments and make them accessible and useful to communities in the region,” said Ambassador Reed in her opening remarks.

VOCTEC, in partnership with USP, is implementing a two-year solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity-building program customized for the Pacific Islands to support the sustainability of off-grid solar energy installations and help in the reduction of carbon emissions. Solar PV panels are widespread throughout the Pacific region and are the most appropriate technology to replace dependence on imported petroleum products.

The link between trade policy and non-communicable diseases in Pacific Island countries is the focus of a workshop in Fiji that starts today.

Representatives of Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are attending the four-day meeting, whose organisers include the United Nations Development Programme.

The UNDP’s Pacific Poverty Reduction and MDGs team leader says the workshop is the first to look at the links between trade and health.

Ahmed Moustafa says most developing countries lack the capacity to negotiate free trade agreements that take into account a rising incidence of non-communicable diseases.

“Available data and recent studies here in the Pacific link obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes to imported food with very low and dubious nutritional value - mainly cheap processed food imports.”

Ahmed Moustafa says taxing such products is a proven way of helping people become healthier.

The lawlessness of Somalia has spread fear and panic to one of the world's smallest and most isolated nations, tiny Tuvalu, that sits in the South Pacific Ocean near the International Date Line.