MFAET Minister, Hon. Jeremiah Manele speaking at the launch of the U.S Embassy this week

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Jeremiah Manele has acknowledged the commitment by the United States Government in re-opening their Embassy in the Solomon Islands.

 The Minister made this remark on Tuesday at a reception hosted in Honiara to mark the re-opening of the Embassy.

He said the re-opening is the realization of a commitment by the US Government as announced by US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken during his visit to the Pacific last year.

Minister Manele therefore thanked the Joe Biden Administration for reversing a decision made 20 years ago, and to follow through expeditiously on the commitment to open an Embassy in Honiara.

“As the Ministry responsible to manage Solomon Islands diplomatic relations with the global community, we are pleased that a longstanding traditional partner and friend of the Solomon Islands has joined the small but active diplomatic community in Honiara,” he added.

He said with a US Embassy now fully operational, the Solomon Islands Government looks forward to progressing a number of bilateral partnerships, like the Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC), the expansion of the USAID SCALE project to other provinces and the Peace Corps.

The Minister acknowledged that we live in an interconnected and integrated global community, therefore partnerships with governments, across private sector and people-to-people are integral to this shift.

“Foreign Missions/Embassies therefore play an important role in catalyzing these partnerships.

He further remarked that the establishment of the Embassy is a premise for deeper engagements across those fronts and new opportunities for cooperation in areas such as education, trade, culture and investment.

“May I once again take this opportunity to congratulate the Government of the United States on the occasion of the official opening of the US Embassy.

“This is indeed a momentous day for the SI-US relations and opens a new chapter in our friendship,” He added.

The event this week marks the official opening of the U.S Embassy in the Solomon Islands, this follows a soft technical opening held late January 2023.

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