PM emotional after meeting family of 45 Fiji peacekeepers

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama was emotional earlier this afternoon when he spoke to some of the family members of the Fijian UN peacekeepers.

Bainimarama assured the families that the soldiers were all safe and well.

He told the families that they will continue to support them.

Bainimarama said he knows that everybody was worried about the 45 soldiers, but with the hard work of the UN negotiators they were released.

He also thanked the nation and all the religious organizations that prayed for the safe return of the soldiers.

United States Ambassador to Fiji Frankie Reed said the release of the 45 Fijian peacekeepers in Golan Heights brought great joy and relief to all of them at the US Embassy.

Reed said she commends Fiji and the international community for their perseverance to secure the soldiers safe release.

She said the peacekeepers are treasured members of our families, our congregations and our communities.

According to Reed, Fiji’s long‑standing role working towards peace far from its shores is an inspiration and recent events have proven how difficult the task of creating and preserving a fragile peace remains.

She added that their thoughts and prayers go out to the soldiers, their families, and their friends who have been through so much over the last several weeks.