The United States announced Wednesday the opening of a new embassy in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, after 30 years of absence in the country as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China’s influence in the region.
«Doing so symbolizes a renewal of our relationship and underscores the strength of our commitment to our bilateral relations, the people of Solomon Islands, and our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,» U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
In this regard, Blinken clarified that the opening of the Embassy in Honiara is aimed at – in addition to the strengthening of relations with the country – «placing more diplomatic personnel in the region», as well as a greater commitment to the Pacific neighbors.
«We value our shared history and sacrifice with Solomon Islands and look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership in a variety of areas, including economic development, combating the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing the challenges of climate change.
Blinken has also reported in the release that the State Department informed the Solomon Islands government that the opening of the U.S. diplomatic legation in Honiara became official as of January 27.
The opening of the Embassy follows tensions in the summer, when the Solomon Islands government decided to suspend U.S. naval visits following the signing of the security agreement between the archipelago and China in April.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare signed an agreement with Beijing in April for the two sides to collaborate on issues such as law and order, safety and security of people and priorities, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response.
This agreement was viewed with suspicion from the outset by Australia and the United States, which warned that the pact opened the door to a hypothetical deployment of Chinese troops in the archipelago. However, the Solomon Islands authorities ruled out the construction of military bases.
The United States recognized Solomon Islands on July 7, 1978 and began relations with the country a few months later, in October of the same year. Although the U.S. consulate was upgraded to Embassy status in 1988, a few years later, in 1993, the diplomatic legation in the country was closed due to budget cuts in the framework of the Cold War.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)