Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has commended the Pacific Partnership 2015, describing it as a building block between United States of America and Solomon Islands.
He said the partnership is a strong relationship built from history since the World War II in 1942.
“I fully agree with remarks made under the Pacific Partnership 2015,” Sogavare said, Friday.
“I on behalf of the Government and people of Solomon Islands commend the American service men and women working here on this mission of mercy,” he added.
“This mission of mercy has contributed enormously to the extraordinarily rich and productive relations between our two countries.
“I am also aware of the need to protect Bloody Ridge and related sites,” he added.
“Let me assure you that the Office of Prime Minister, the Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of Tourism will form a joint task force to ensure such an undertaking is materialized.
“In order to move such undertakings going forward, our cooperation is therefore of utmost importance.”
Sogavare said the famous Spanish 20th century philosopher Gorge Santayana stated in one of his famous quotes about humanity.
“…Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
“I hope the world today continues to heed to this caution, and will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
“Thus that hope of World War II and indeed the Guadalcanal campaign was the last of its kind that the human race, and Solomon Islanders for that matter, had seen and experienced.
“The world continued to witness thousands of lives sacrificed for the course of peace and freedom. For Solomon Islands, we went down that path during the ethnic crisis.
“We allow ourselves to drop our guard against those who wanted to undermine our rights to freedom to govern ourselves, to move about freely and to live peacefully and work hard to improve our lives.
“We almost ruined our nation, gave up our rights to be suppressed by selfish interest. We must not repeat this ever again.
“May this generation and those that are yet to come, continue to seek and pursue peace and freedom.”
Sogavare urge Solomon Islanders to recognize and uphold peaceful co-existence, human rights including protecting people’s right to self-determination.
“May we continue to appreciate and uphold these important principles and values of peaceful co-existence, respect for human rights and protect people’s right to self-determination for the advancement of human kind into the future.”
By BRADFORD THEONOMI
