evidence: The ownership of Minerva Reefs (23°40'S., 179°00'E.) has been an unresolved issue between Fiji and Tonga for quite a while. Tonga is one of Fiji's closest friends and they hope to resolve the issue through peaceful dialogue. [...] Tonga's claim to the Minerva Reefs, situated south of Fiji's archipelago, may complicate Tongan-Fijian maritime boundary negotiations. In 1972, King Taufaahau Tupou IV made a royal proclamation that Minerva belongs to Tonga, the two atolls were named Teleki Tokelau (North) and Teleki Tonga (South). Tonga constructed two structures in each of the reefs where beacons were placed. [...] In Fijian history the reef is regarded as the fishing ground of the ancestors of the people of Ono-i-Lau. Tonga's claim is founded on a Royal Declaration by the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV - when he declared the reef as Tongan territory in 1972. In July 2014 Tonga's's Lands Minister Lord Ma'afu revealed a proposal for the island kingdom to give up the disputed Minerva Reef to Fiji in exchange for the Lau Group. But the government of Fiji would lose a major portion of their country for some uninhabited reef.