Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — U.S. Ambassador Jared Novelly officially presented his credentials to the Samoa Head of State, Afioga Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, as he began his tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to Samoa.

During his visit, Ambassador Novelly reaffirmed the United States' commitment to working alongside Samoa as a trusted partner to advance education, health, economic opportunity, security, disaster preparedness, and people-to-people ties.

When asked by reporters whether the United States would respect Samoa's position on seabed mining, Mr Novelly said he was not in the country to promote or impose American policy.

"I come from a business background, not a career political or public diplomacy standpoint," the Samoa Observer quoted him in yesterday’s issue.

"Maybe I'll be a not very good diplomat by saying that, from my standpoint, it's about respecting your opinions.

"How you deal with seabed mining in your Exclusive Economic Zone is up to you. That's Samoan law."

Ambassador Novelly said his role was to connect Samoa with experts who could provide information on environmental issues, sustainable practices and companies involved in the industry. He referred to the activity as "seabed harvesting."

"There are certain things about seabed harvesting in certain other areas of the Pacific that I think could be transformative for the Pacific," he said. "It is a conversation. It is not my job to force anything down your throat."

His comments referred to Samoa's EEZ, rather than the U.S. proposal to lease more than 31 million acres of federal waters near American Samoa for the extraction of critical minerals.

The proposal, announced under President Donald Trump's critical minerals program, relates to waters under U.S. jurisdiction around American Samoa rather than Samoa's EEZ.

Asked whether the United States had received a response from the Governor of American Samoa on the proposal, the Ambassador said the territory did not fall within his diplomatic responsibilities.

"American Samoa is under the Secretary of the Interior, not the Secretary of State, so I actually don't have any responsibility for American Samoa," he said.

Ambassador Novelly was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 18 as ambassador to Samoa, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue.

A press release from the U.S. Embassy in Samoa stated: "Lasting partnerships begin by listening, building trust, and working together. I look forward to meeting communities across Samoa and strengthening the enduring friendship between our countries."