The US Ambassador to Solomon Islands, PNG and Vanuatu, Her Excellency Ann Marie Yastishock has made a courtesy visit on Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele in Honiara today (27 May).
Ambassador Yastishock formally congratulated Hon. Manele on his recent election as the new Prime Minister of Solomon Islands.
The two leaders discussed a broad range of opportunities and areas of renewed cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 9th October 1978.
The two leaders noted that formal ties between the two countries spans over forty (40) years, with engagements in security, the economic sector and people-to-people interactions. In recent times, increased engagements between the two countries signal a growing partnership.
On top of the two leaders’ discussions was the reciprocal establishment of Embassies by both countries in Washington DC and in Honiara
In March 2023, the US formally opened its Embassy in Honiara. The re-opening of the US Embassy is a realization of the commitment by the Biden Administration, to seek deeper engagement, and will hopefully catalyze partnerships in areas of mutual and new collaborations.
Prime Minister Manele called on the US Government to operationalize the US Embassy in Honiara with a fully-fledged office with consular duties headed by a resident Ambassador based in Honiara.
Manele also reiterated Solomon Islands call on the US Government to urgently assist with the removal of WWII Unexploded Ordnances both on land and underwater, which poses threat to human lives and the marine environment.
“Removing UXOs is a matter of urgency since these WWII remnants poses threat to human lives and our environment and also costly for development of lands located in areas where heavy bombardment occurred during WWII,” Manele said.
Manele also conveyed his appreciation to the US government Aid Agency, USAID for supporting programs that help communities adapt to the negative impacts of global climate change and supports disaster risk reduction programs to enhance local capacity for disaster response.
In 2020, USAID launched the five-year, $25 million Strengthening Competitiveness, Agribusiness, Livelihoods and Environment (SCALE) program designed to unlock economic opportunity and increase trade over the long-run; improve natural resource management, including forest governance; promote agribusiness and small enterprise development; and expand critical small-scale infrastructure.
The two leaders also discussed the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Fund Threshold Program (THP) Grant Agreement signed on January 22, 2022. The USD $20 million program will reduce poverty and increase economic growth by supporting government efforts to manage natural resources and increase tourism investment. MCC intends to develop a strong working relationship with Solomon Islands Government through this program.
Both leaders also held fruitful discussions on several other areas of mutual interest including Security, Climate Change, Visa, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, Trade, Investment in Transformative Infrastructure and Renewable Energy, Education, Peace Corps, PICs-US Summit Commitments, the 2050 Pacific Strategy and other regional commitments.
