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FSM Information Services

Press Release

ADB Office for the FSM, Palau, & Marshall Islands Opens in Pohnpei State; President Panuelo & Vice President Palik Receive ADB Pacific Director General Leah Gutierrez

PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On March 20^th, 2023, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—and the Honorable Aren B. Palik, Vice President of the FSM, received the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Director General for the Pacific, Leah Gutierrez, in a courtesy call. Following the meeting, President Panuelo sojourned to the ADB office located at the One World Plaza complex in Kolonia, Pohnpei State, for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The ADB office physically located in Pohnpei serves the FSM, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

At present, the ongoing portfolio of ADB development support includes $25.3 million dollars ($25,300,000). The ADB provides support to the FSM through strategic investments in energy, water, transportation, education, and technical assistance.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the ADB provided generous grant assistance of $26.5 million dollars ($26,500,000) in areas such as the Nation’s first social protection programs, and mitigating impacts in the health and tourism sectors, among others.

“ADB is an important development partner,” President Panuelo said in his statement at the opening of the ADB office, “ADB understands that, as a Small Island Developing State, our country experiences heightened barriers to inclusive economic growth, due to our geographic remoteness, small population, capacity constraints, and exposure to natural hazards, of which the latter is intensifying due to the growing pressures of Climate Change…. The ADB’s understanding of our uniqueness, and our vulnerabilities, has promoted a strong partnership with our country.”

During the courtesy call between President Panuelo, Vice President Palik, and Director General Gutierrez, the discussions focused primarily on ADB’s historical and ongoing assistance to the FSM. The Director General described that eight members of ADB’s Board will convene a meeting in Chuuk State in the last week of March, 2023, and described to President Panuelo and Vice President Palik how ADB can also assist in private sector development presuming that that would be of interest to the FSM.

President Panuelo and Vice President Palik thanked Director General Gutierrez for ADB’s friendship and support to the FSM, noting that while they cannot foretell the next administration’s policies that it has been a policy of the Panuelo-Palik administration to focus exclusively on receiving grants, not loans, from any and all friends, allies, and development partners and for any purpose.

Citizens may recall President Panuelo describing the forthcoming opening of the ADB Pacific Country Office in the State of the Nation address this past January, 2023, which—in addition to the forthcoming World Bank office, and the forthcoming expansion of the United Nations Multi-Country Office for the Micronesian subregion—is a part of the FSM becoming a North Pacific hub.

The FSM appreciates ADB’s friendship and development support to our Nation, which has deeply positive impacts on the FSM’s citizens and communities.

FSM Information Services

Press Release

President Panuelo & Vice President Palik Meet Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. INDO-PACIFIC Command, Discuss Regional Security & Yap State Infrastructure Upgrades

PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On March 18^th, 2023, His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Honorable Aren B. Palik, Vice President of the FSM, and the Honorable Kandhi A. Elieisar, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, joined Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. INDO-PACIFIC Command, and Charge’d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in the FSM, Alissa Bibb, to discuss items of mutual interest and importance to the FSM-U.S. Enduring Partnership. President Panuelo first met Admiral Aquilino in Honolulu, Hawaii, for high-level defense talks in July, 2021, with one of the outcomes of those discussions including the Admiral’s commitment to visit the FSM.

Prior to meeting the President and Vice President, Admiral Aquilino visited the State of Yap to provide briefings to the Honorable Charles Chieng, Governor of Yap, as well as the Yap State Legislature and the traditional leaders of the Council of Pilung and the Council of Tamol. The Admiral discussed topics such as the U.S. funding for improving the runway in Yap State, which will enable better disaster response and decrease fuel consumption for aircraft, benefitting the FSM socially, economically, and ecologically. In addition, the Admiral described the continued U.S. commitment to enhancing stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The meeting between President Panuelo, Vice President Palik, and Admiral Aquilino covered similar territory as the meeting between the Admiral and the leadership of Yap State. The Admiral described to the President and Vice President what the upgraded airport and seaport will look like, with the airport to include an expanded runway and the seaport to include dredging and forming-up piers and warehouses, among other infrastructure. Additionally, the President, Vice President, and Admiral discussed regional security issues and concerns.

Regarding the latter, the Admiral offered, and the President and Vice President enthusiastically accepted, to provide forthcoming briefings on Climate Change projections in the FSM, with the aim of providing leadership renewed capacity in identifying, mitigating, and adapting to Climate Change-related threats and natural disasters of any type.

Both President Panuelo and Vice President Palik thanked Admiral Aquilino for his advocacy with regards to strengthening the Compact of Free Association between the FSM and the U.S., and solicited the Admiral’s advocacy, where appropriate, with relevant U.S. officials with regards to infrastructure support, and economic development. President Panuelo described the importance of more dedicated support to road infrastructure and human development capacity, and Vice President Palik described the importance of new programs and facilities, such as the expansions to the Yap State Airport and Seaport, translating into direct economic benefit to the Nation.

“It was a pleasure to see my good friend, Admiral Aquilino,” President Panuelo said in a statement following the meeting. “The Admiral kept his promise to visit the FSM and provided extensive opportunities for ‘Questions & Answers’ with all of Yap State’s leadership as well as the FSM National Government.”

“I think a sense of patriotism for our relationship is important,” the President continued, “Because there is no closer ally to the FSM than the United States. Our Enduring Partnership, as codified by the Compact, means, among so many other things, that our country is genuinely independent and genuinely sovereign—but also protected by the United States as part of the homeland. The U.S. Armed Forces are also the FSM’s Armed Forces, and our own FSM citizens enlist at a higher rate per capita than any U.S. State. The delegation of our defense authorities is under our own FSM Constitution and we choose to do so freely, and we fight for the same freedoms, like peace, unity, and liberty, and protecting the rules-based international order.”

FSM Information Services

Press Release

ADB Office for the FSM, Palau, & Marshall Islands Opens in Pohnpei State; President Panuelo & Vice President Palik Receive ADB Pacific Director General Leah Gutierrez

PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On March 20^th, 2023, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—and the Honorable Aren B. Palik, Vice President of the FSM, received the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Director General for the Pacific, Leah Gutierrez, in a courtesy call. Following the meeting, President Panuelo sojourned to the ADB office located at the One World Plaza complex in Kolonia, Pohnpei State, for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The ADB office physically located in Pohnpei serves the FSM, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

At present, the ongoing portfolio of ADB development support includes $25.3 million dollars ($25,300,000). The ADB provides support to the FSM through strategic investments in energy, water, transportation, education, and technical assistance.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the ADB provided generous grant assistance of $26.5 million dollars ($26,500,000) in areas such as the Nation’s first social protection programs, and mitigating impacts in the health and tourism sectors, among others.

“ADB is an important development partner,” President Panuelo said in his statement at the opening of the ADB office, “ADB understands that, as a Small Island Developing State, our country experiences heightened barriers to inclusive economic growth, due to our geographic remoteness, small population, capacity constraints, and exposure to natural hazards, of which the latter is intensifying due to the growing pressures of Climate Change…. The ADB’s understanding of our uniqueness, and our vulnerabilities, has promoted a strong partnership with our country.”

During the courtesy call between President Panuelo, Vice President Palik, and Director General Gutierrez, the discussions focused primarily on ADB’s historical and ongoing assistance to the FSM. The Director General described that eight members of ADB’s Board will convene a meeting in Chuuk State in the last week of March, 2023, and described to President Panuelo and Vice President Palik how ADB can also assist in private sector development presuming that that would be of interest to the FSM.

President Panuelo and Vice President Palik thanked Director General Gutierrez for ADB’s friendship and support to the FSM, noting that while they cannot foretell the next administration’s policies that it has been a policy of the Panuelo-Palik administration to focus exclusively on receiving grants, not loans, from any and all friends, allies, and development partners and for any purpose.

Citizens may recall President Panuelo describing the forthcoming opening of the ADB Pacific Country Office in the State of the Nation address this past January, 2023, which—in addition to the forthcoming World Bank office, and the forthcoming expansion of the United Nations Multi-Country Office for the Micronesian subregion—is a part of the FSM becoming a North Pacific hub.

The FSM appreciates ADB’s friendship and development support to our Nation, which has deeply positive impacts on the FSM’s citizens and communities.

FSM Information Services 

Press Release 

In Accordance with Transition of Power, President Panuelo Begins Requesting Courtesy Resignations from Cabinet 

PALIKIR, Pohnpei—After the National Election on March 7^th, 2023, and in accordance with the usual transition of power from one administration to the next, His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), has begun the first of a series of instructions for courtesy resignations from political appointees.

Persons who have already been instructed to provide courtesy resignations include the Secretary of Justice, the Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Postmaster General, and the Ambassador of the FSM to the United States of America. All four served at the pleasure of the President and required the advice and consent of Congress when appointed to their position.

The Acting Secretary of Justice is Leonito Bacalando Jr. The Acting Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs is Brendy Carl. The Acting Postmaster General of the FSM is Juliet Jimmy. Jackson T. Soram is the Charge’d’Affaires of the Embassy of the FSM to the United States of America.

In the middle of April, 2023, the President intends to instruct an additional group of political appointees to submit their courtesy resignation, with a final grouping in May, 2023. Some of the political appointees will be asked to become consultants to assist the next administration when it assumes power on May 11^th, 2023, and some will not be.

It is normal practice for the President of the FSM to have Cabinet and political appointees resign prior to the turnover of the next administration so as to give the next President the capacity to freely nominate their own Cabinet. President Panuelo is choosing to stagger the removal of Cabinet and other political appointees in the administration in waves so as to ensure that certain tasks are completed on schedule.