The inhabitants of Tuvalal run away from the islands. 1/3 of the population submitted an application in the Australian visa lottery

Over 3,000 people, i.e. almost a third of the population located in Oceania Tuvalu, submitted an application in the Australian visa lottery four days after its beginning – AFP agency said on Thursday. Canberra wants to help the residents of the archipelago, which is in danger of sinking.

According to official data, 3125 applications for Australian visa were submitted within four days of starting the program. The lottery is an element of the Flepili pact from 2024, in which Australia has committed that he would admit to 280 Tuvalu citizens every year.

The signatories of the agreement emphasized that this is the first agreement of this type in the world. The Australian authorities concluded it to help the inhabitants of Tuvalu, whose country is threatened by the flood of the Pacific. The level of this basin is systematically rising as a result of climate change.

Tuvalu is considered one of the territories most exposed to the negative consequences of these processes. Some scientists believe that in 80 years there will be no conditions for a settled life on the archipelago. To confirm this thesis, they remind you that two out of nine coral atols that form Tuvalu have already largely flooded the Pacific waters.

The reaction of the inhabitants of Tuval to Australia's visa program also caused criticism. The AFP agency cited, among others Geographer from the University of Sydney, John Connell, who warned that the long -term exodus of qualified employees may threaten the future of the archipelago.

“Small countries do not have many jobs. (…) Atole does not offer too much future: agriculture is difficult, and fishing offers great potential, but does not generate employment” – noted the scientist.

The Union of Falepili also obliges Canberra to defend the archipelago in the case of natural disasters, health pandemia and military aggression. Shortly after signing this agreement, the Prime Minister of the Archipelago Feleti Teo emphasized that for the first time another state had committed to helping his country “on demand”.

The agreement also gives Australia the right to vote on defensive pacts concluded by Tuvalu with other countries, which – in the opinion of many commentators – indicates the desire to weaken China's expansion in the region. Tuvalu is one of only 12 countries in the world, maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

According to the general inventory of 2022, 10.6 thousand lives on Tuvalu. people. Registration in a lottery costs the equivalent of around 14 euros, and applications can be submitted until July 18. (PAP)

Piu/ Szm/