From left - Taneti Maamau Kiribati President, Kitlang Kabua Marshall Islands Foreign Minister, David Panuelo FSM President, Surangel Whipps Jr Palau President and Russ Kun President of Nauru. February 2023 Photo: Office of the President Federated States of Micronesia
Micronesian leaders have welcomed a possible visit to the Pacific by the US president Joe Biden this year.
In a communique from the 21st Micronesian Presidents' Summit (MPS) released on Tuesday night, the Presidents expressed their "full support and cooperation to ensure the success of this visit".
FSM President and incoming MPS chair David Panuelo said the five Micronesian nations fully endorsed "a possible Pacific summit with President Biden in the Pacific".
"We have recently held the historic first US-Pacific Summit in Washington and I believe that we have invited President Biden to also come into the Pacific and engage the Pacific leaders," President Panuelo said.
"We are extending that invitation to President Biden...there is a high likelihood that such a meeting will take place in the upcoming months."
The leaders of Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia began their meeting in Pohnpei State on Monday.
It comes ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum special leaders' retreat scheduled to take place in Fiji next week.
During the meeting the outgoing Forum chair and Fiji prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, addressed his counterparts online, and delivered a message on Pacific solidarity.
He stressed the region shared common values built around its people, communities, cultures and traditions.
And he offered his assurances of continuing to work closely with Micronesia.
The Fiji prime minister was instrumental in convincing the Kiribati president Taneti Maamau to rejoin the Forum after the country's withdrawal from the regional body last year raised questions about the state of the Pacific's much touted regional solidarity.
In Pohnpei the Micronesian presidents welcomed Kiribati's decision to return to the Pacific Islands Forum.
Photo: AFP / Mike Leyral
Who gets what from the Suva agreement?
As well as welcoming the US president Joe Biden's planned visit for the Leaders' Summit in the Pacific Region the Palikir Communique lays out the first details of which Micronesian country gets what from the Suva Agreement.
The agreement was brokered last year in June by Forum leaders and endorsed in July to appease the aggrieved Micronesian bloc and convince them of a commitment to reform the regional body and ensure it was more inclusive.
It included several promises from the Forum to Micronesia including the next appointment for Secretary General, the establishment of a sub-regional office and an office for the Pacific Ocean's Commissioner in the north Pacific.
In this week's communique the Micronesian presidents endorsed Nauru's candidacy for Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024.
They endorsed the location of the Pacific Islands Forum sub-region office for the north Pacific to be in Kiribati, and for the office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner to be in Palau.
The presidents expressed support for the candidacy of the Marshall Islands for the position of Pacific Ocean Commissioner.
And they also agreed that the Federated States of Micronesia be the host of a permanent secretariat of the Micronesian Presidents' Summit and for it to be accorded an elevated status.
Meanwhile, FSM is also the new chair of the Micronesian Presidents' Summit, taking over from Nauru.
The Palikir Communique - themed 'Paddling together for a stronger Micronesia' - was signed by four presidents; Taneti Maamau of Kiribati, Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau, Russ Joseph Kun of Nauru and David Panuelo of the Federated States of Micronesia.
The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Marshall Islands Kitlang Kabua signed on behalf of president David Kabua.
