For the first time ever, the leaders of Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia visited the White House together.
President of the Republic of Palau Tommy Remengesau Jr., President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands Hilda Heine and President of the Federated States of Micronesia David Panuelo met with President Trump on May 21.
Today, President Trump welcomes the Presidents of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia—the first time all 3 leaders from the Freely Associated States have been hosted together at the White House by a U.S. President! pic.twitter.com/BSau7aGpYJ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 21, 2019
Each leads a nation that has a compact agreement with the United States. As part of the compact, the U.S. is responsible for security and defense matters relating to the respective country. Citizens from all three countries serve in the U.S. armed forces at rates higher than those of many U.S. states.
We “jointly reaffirm our interest in a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” the U.S. president and the presidents of the Freely Associated States said. “We recognize our unique, historic and special relationships and reaffirm our countries’ commitments to the Compacts of Free Association.”
The United States works closely with these Pacific island nations on:
- Assisting with natural disaster recovery.
- Combating illegal fishing.
- Advancing economic development.
- Strengthening the rule of law.
- Supporting the resiliency of the Pacific islands environment.
The leaders said they will encourage private sector investment and trade among their countries and bonds among their peoples.