Vanuatu and France Begin Talks on Matthew and Hunter Islands

Formal negotiations have begun between Vanuatu and France over sovereignty of Matthew and Hunter Islands, Abc reported. Vanuatu is seeking full control of the islands, which lie 300 kilometres east of New Caledonia and have been under French administration since before Vanuatu's independence in 1980. A second round of talks is scheduled in Paris later this month.

Vanuatu's prime minister has accused France of dragging its feet on the issue. New Caledonia's pro-independence president backed Vanuatu's claim last month. New Caledonia's French-loyalist government responded by suspending trade ties with Vanuatu.

Matthew Island features an active volcano and thousands of birds, while Hunter Island has sulphur-yellow cliffs, according to sailor Bruno Senges who visited Matthew Island in 2021. Communities in Vanuatu's southern islands refer to the pair as Umaenupne and Umaeneg and regard them as sacred sites. A 2011 UN report recognised the islands as places of worship and ritual dating back generations.

The Kanak and Socialist Liberation Front signed the Keamu agreement in 2009 formally recognising Vanuatu's claim. Ownership carries rights to an exclusive economic zone of roughly 350,000 square kilometres. France holds the world's largest such zone partly because of its Pacific territories, University of Paris-Saclay law professor Géraldine Giraudeau said.

Former Vanuatu prime minister Sato Kilman said the islands could deliver major economic benefits through possible resources beneath them. Vanuatu has not ruled out taking the dispute to the International Court of Justice. French elections are set for 2027.

Giraudeau said any agreement would need to be reached within the next 12 months or risk stalling under a potential new government.