At the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue on Monday May 22, 2023, U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken and Pacific Island Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership issued in September 2022.
The Declaration laid out an affirmative vision of cooperation and partnership to address shared challenges, bolster Pacific regionalism, advance economic growth and sustainable development, maintain peace and security in the Blue Pacific continent, and expand opportunities for our peoples.
In a statement from the Office of the Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State, said, “The United States has been delivering on our commitments from the historic first Summit, the Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership, and the first ever U.S. national strategy on the Pacific Islands, the Pacific Partnership Strategy. This includes our request to Congress for $7.1 billion in funding over 20 years under the Compacts of Free Association for the Freely Associated States and signing agreements to extend Compact-related assistance with the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to extend Compact-related assistance.
- Signing Agreements related to the Compacts of Free Association with Palau and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM): Extending COFA-related assistance is a critical component of the Administration’s Indo-Pacific, Pacific Partnership, and National Security Strategies, necessary to enhancing our relationships with the Freely Associated States and to maintaining our status as a committed preferred partner in the Pacific. In Papua New Guinea, Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations Joseph Yun signed the Palau 2023 Compact Review Agreement with Minister of Finance Kaleb Udui. The United States and FSM will sign Compact related agreements on May 23 in the FSM.
- New Embassy Openings: S. Embassy Honiara in Solomon Islands opened on January 27, 2023. U.S. Embassy Nuku'alofa in Tonga opened on May 9, and a public event is expected in the coming months. We are in active discussions regarding our interest in opening an embassy in Kiribati and have announced our intent to open an embassy in Vanuatu, subject to host government approval and completion of Congressional notification procedures.
- Returning Peace Corps to the Region: In September 2022, we announced that the Peace Corps would be returning to the Pacific region. Peace Corps Volunteers are now on the ground in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, and will return to Vanuatu later this year. The Peace Corps is also assessing the reestablishment of operations, budget permitting, in Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.”