USA set to meet SI – It is never too Late!

In its entirety, diplomacy must thrive in any democratic country. Solomon Islands as a democratic nation will continue to hold dialogues with its bilateral and multilateral partners, and this includes the United States of America (USA).

In a statement to media, the government added the opportunity to engage with the USA at any level is always an important aspect of our international relations, especially on a government to government level.

“As ‘Friends to All and Enemies to None’ we embrace all our bilateral partners, especially when they find the time to visit our humble corner of the globe,” the statement highlighted.

The government statement said Member of Parliament for East Are’are Peter Kenilorea Jnr’s comments that America is too late is very irresponsible and immature.

“His statements have shown his incapability of realizing the many potential bilateral cooperation that are available for the USA and Solomon Islands to pursue,” the statement pointed out.

The government statement further highlighted that such outbursts by Kenilorea Jnr is based purely on emotions and is unbecoming of a Member of Parliament.

“As a country, we are a struggling to develop our provinces through building of roads, bridges, wharves and other infrastructures that can drive economic activities in our islands. We need all the assistance we can get. It is never too late,” the statement highlighted.

The government statement added that the Opposition seems to have the audacity to preempt a national engagement between the people of this country through a responsible Government and the US Government on an uninformed and irresponsible note.

“To say ‘US time is up’ is undiplomatic – it is disrespectful of the relationship that Solomon Islands enjoyed with the US since the Independence. Hon Kenilorea Jnr’s statement follows similar sentiments shared recently by the Opposition leader cautioning Canberra to ‘sanction’ its aid program to Solomon Islands,” the statement highlighted.

The government further stated that such statements continue to challenge the Opposition as representative of ‘other interest’ rather than that of ordinary Solomon Islanders. It is sad and unfortunate that the continuous crude and unhinged attempts by these two leaders to seek political gains is causing confusion and suspicion amongst the unsuspecting people of our beloved country.

The government appeals to these leaders to be humble and deal with matters of national interest, and not advancing interests of other people who are not Solomon Islanders.

“Solomon Islands as a sovereign state have to stay the course and remain steadfast to our national development priorities. While we continue to lead our diverse nation responsibly, we must also manage our internal issues such as social disunity, overdue reforms, natural disasters and climate change vulnerabilities to name a few, with great caution,” the government statement pointed out.

“Therefore, the US-SI relationship can be part of our struggle to develop, but it must be driven by our national sovereign interest. Indeed, SI values its relationship with the US and is open for cooperation in areas that have socio economic gaps including our security interest,” the statement added.

The government statement further pointed out that it is never too late to hold dialogues with the United States of America. The USA is welcomed on our shores and we look forward to sharing our views and receiving them in our beloved Solomon Islands in so doing maintains our foreign policy principle of ‘Friends to all and enemy to none’.

“The Solomon Islands Government will on behalf of the people of this country welcome the US delegation in Honiara as we continue to work together in advancing our national sovereign interests for the betterment of our people,” the statement concluded.

End///- OPMC Press

Editor’s Note: Hon Kenilorea has already refuted the report stating he was misquoted. He also posted on his FB wall the comments he made which was mismatch to what was reported by one of the newspapers.