KOROR (Island Times/Pacnews) — A U.S congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks visited Palau for a couple of days on a fact-finding mission and to show U.S bipartisan commitment to Palau and other Pacific allies.
“It is not by accident that we’re here,” said Meeks, D-NY. “We decided…to come to Palau because we know the long-standing and special relations that we have. As a Freely Associated State, Palau is a trusted United States partner and a champion of the rules-based order here in the Pacific,” the lawmaker added.
The visit followed another U.S congressional delegation that was in Palau in early October led by U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Florida and chair of the House Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
Asked about the U.S congressional visits, U.S. Congressman Tom Suozzi, D-NY, said, “We want to send a clear message to the people of Palau. We are grateful to them. We’re grateful for the partnership that we’ve had back to World War II but certainly since the Compact was negotiated.”
Suozzi said the relationship with the Pacific islands “is very very important to the United States, and we need to up our game and spend more time to give more attention to these relations.”
The U.S lawmakers said they learned a lot from meeting people during their visit. “It is important that our assistance aligns with the needs of the people, which is why our visit is so important here,” said U.S. Congressman Peter Meijer, R-Mich.
They also believe that the U.S midterm elections will not affect the ongoing Compact review, adding that all members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, support the U.S relationship with Palau.
“This is a bipartisan delegation,” Meijer said. “We recognize that the relationship between the United States and Palau knows no party and that it is something that transcends a lot of partisanship that we see in the United States today,” he added.
The U.S congressional delegation departed a day before Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-Tse visited Palau where the mandated annual Joint Committee Meeting between Palau and U.S military and civilian officials was also taking place.
Gregory Meeks