Fiji, May 6 -- Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will stand with the Pacific through the fuel crisis, warning the disruption to global energy supply is hitting the region hard and requires a coordinated response.

Speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Tuesday during a meeting with Secretary General Baron Waqa, Wong described the Forum as central to regional unity.

"This place, the Secretariat of the PIF, this is the heart of the Pacific - the heart of Pacific regionalism - it's where I gave my very first speech to the Pacific as Foreign Minister and we understand that the Forum makes us stronger, it unites us and it is the key to realising the leaders' vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous region."

She said t...