Washington DC, September 29, 2023 – An FSM delegation led by President Simina, have completed rounds of meetings in DC under the US - Pacific Island Forum Summit as well as meetings to progress the 2023 Amended Compact. Engagements that President Simina and delegation members participated in addition to the US - PIF Summit main plenary with President Biden, included:- Roundtable discussions focused on combatting climate change with Special Envoy John Kerry;
- A dinner function hosted by Secretary of State Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield – focused on promoting sustainable, people-centered development, preserving peace and the rules based international order, and other multilateral priorities;
- Roundtable discussions with Special Envoy John Kerry and USAID Administrator Samantha Power and members of the philanthropic community focused on the climate-ocean nexus;
- A luncheon with members of the U.S. Congress hosted at the Capitol Hill;
- Roundtable discussions with U.S. business and investment leaders with a focus on leveraging the diverse and vibrant economies in the Pacific to enhance economic and commercial connectivity between our countries and;
- A friends of the Pacific reception hosted by the Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd;
In addition to the above US - PIF Summit engagements, President Simina and members of the delegation also took the opportunity to meet with Secretary Blinken along with President Whipps of Palau, and Minister Ading of the Marshall Islands to discuss the final aspects of each of the Freely Associated States’ Compact agreements. To the same end, President Simina and delegation members also took the opportunity meet with key members of the US congress to continue advocating for its timely action, including Congressman Ami Bera who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific as well as the Co-Chair of the Pacific Islands Caucus and Congresswoman Young Kim who serves as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific.
The delegation’s trip concluded with a dinner function that welcomed FSM citizens from around the area, bringing together a broad group of family and friends who live and work in the DC area.
Following the delegations' above activities and departure from DC on Wednesday Sept. 27th, the Compact's FPSA (Federal Programs and Services Agreement) was subsequently signed by both governments on Thursday Sept. 28th.
