HONOLULU, Hawaii (FSM Information Services) – On July 16, 2021, David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, was received by Governor of Hawaii David Y. Ige, during a courtesy visit.

President Panuelo intended to pay tribute to the Governor upon his arrival in Hawaii, discuss his agenda in Honolulu, inform the Governor that he will invite President Joe Biden to open the next in-person meeting of the Pacific Island Conference. leaders, of which the WSF is the contemporary president, and to ask the governor to join the WSF in extending this invitation to President Biden as the host of Hawaii.

President Panuelo opened his remarks by thanking Governor Ige for the hospitality Hawaii has shown to the more than 15,000 FSM citizens who call it home, noting that Hawaii is ethnically and culturally diverse while retaining its Hawaiian and American identity. unique. The President further expressed his gratitude to the First Lady of Hawaii, Dawn A. Ige, for her recent reception with Patricia E. Edwin, First Lady of the WSF.

Governor Ige said WSF citizens are active members and contributors to the community, and the State Government of Hawaii has attempted to partner with various non-governmental and non-profit organizations to provide a better support.

The Governor noted that Hawaii and the United States Territory of Guam are aware of the ongoing negotiations regarding the Free Association Pact, as amended, between the WSF and the United States, and that there is hope that Hawaii and Guam could receive more support from the US federal government. President Panuelo agreed.

He described his schedule for his trip to Hawaii – the first outside trip the president has committed to since March 2020 – and that the main focus was on the high-level WSF-U.S. Defense talks, which the FSM national government considers it crucial to ensure the security of the WSF.

In addition to the FSM-US defense talks at the US Indo-Pacific Command, President Panuelo has indicated that he intends to meet with various friends, partners and allies in Hawaii, such as the East-West Center, the Pacific Islands Development Program, Hawaii Green Growth (a member of the Local2030 Hub, which the WSF recently pledged to join as well), the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and more.

Noting that the United States National Security Council recently heard calls from the respective ambassadors of the Pacific island countries for an increase in the American presence in the Pacific, President Panuelo sought the support of Governor Ige by asking President Joe Biden to open the next Pacific Island Leaders’ Conference or PICL.

“It will be important for the WSFs and the United States that President Biden opens the next [PICL] – which, with 20 members, is both numerically larger than the Pacific Islands Forum and covers a larger area of ​​the planet. It’s a way to show true U.S. involvement and inclusiveness in the Pacific, and that if you’re a sovereign nation, territory, or U.S. state, if you’re in the Pacific then you count, and together we can preserve rules-based international order and collaborate for our mutual development to ensure that the Indo-Pacific strategy of a free and open Indo-Pacific is a lasting and successful reality for all of us, ”said the President Panuelo.

He and Governor Ige agreed that their respective staff would meet over the next few days to discuss the matter further; In the meantime, President Panuelo has indicated that he will also seek support from the US Indo-Pacific Command, the East-West Center, the Pacific Islands Development Program and Hawaii Green Growth et al. for the same purpose.

The meeting ended on a positive note, with President Panuelo thanking Governor Ige again for Hawaii’s kindness and hospitality.