Washington, D.C.— Congressman Faleomavaega recently met with President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. of the Republic of Palau.

The dinner meeting was hosted by the Taiwan Representative to the U.S., Ambassador King Pu-tsung, and was attended by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, Ambassador Asterio Takesy of the Federated States of Micronesia, and Ambassador Hersey Kyota of Palau. This was President Remengesau’s first visit to the U.S. since taking office in January of this year. 

“I want to thank Ambassador King for hosting President Remengesau on his recent visit to the U.S.,” Faleomavaega said. “It was an informal atmosphere where we were able to share and have a very constructive dialogue on U.S.-Palau relations as well as Palau’s initiatives and the impact it will have in the Pacific region.”

“President Remengesau should be commended for his efforts to create the largest national marine sanctuary in the world by banning all commercial fishing within Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone. He strongly believes that such an investment in conservation will promote tourism and it will provide an economic benefit greater than what they currently receive from commercial fishing. This is a noble effort that our Pacific Islanders should follow given the problems we face with overfishing and the annihilation of our fish stock because of the greed of other nations to fish in our Pacific waters.”

“We also had the opportunity to discuss the issue of China and Fiji moving forward in establishing the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) that is a result of the Engaging the Pacific Leaders Meetings that was held annually since 2010 and attended by many leaders of the Pacific countries.  Other countries such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have contributed for the PIDF.  Some suspect that the PIDF would be a competitive rival with the Pacific Islands Forum that has been strongly supported by Australia and New Zealand since its establishment in 1971,” Faleomavaega continued.

“The recent increase in the support and investment of countries that have not traditionally been present in the Pacific region such as China, Cuba, and many from the Middle East is a clear indication of the failure of the policies of the Pacific Islands Forum. This has created a ‘split’ amongst the Pacific countries and it will create more issues as we move forward in the coming years.”

“I look forward to working closely with President Remengesau in convincing the Congress and President Obama to fund the Compact Agreement that was agreed to in 2010. By prolonging such a delay, we continue to damage the relationship with a staunch ally that has been supportive of the U.S. in all international bodies and forums, including the United Nations.”

“I want to thank Ambassador King and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office for honoring President Remengesau during his visit to Washington, D.C. I wish President Remengesau the best and a safe trip as he returns to Palau,” Faleomavaega concluded.