The Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, John Patteson Oti, on behalf of Parliament has congratulated Peter Kenilorea Jr, Member of Parliament for East Are and Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee (FRC), on his successful appointment as the President of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly and Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Speaker Oti in joining the Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele extends his earnest appreciation to the Pacific Missions in Brussels and the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly as a whole, for their confidence and support to recommend Solomon Islands for the role of President of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly.
This is history in the making as Peter Kenilorea Jr is the first Solomon Islands Member of Parliament to be admitted President of these two esteemed Parliamentary bodies.
In his capacity as President, Kenilorea Jr will represent Solomon Islands and the Pacific Region as the President of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and Co-President of the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly to manage and preside over the consultations, debates, and dialogue on issues of mutual interest.
“I am truly honoured and blessed to be able to represent Solomon Islands and the Pacific Islands region in serving as President of the Africa, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) Parliamentary Assembly, as well as co-Chairing, along with Portuguese Member of the European Parliament Carlos Zorrinho, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
“I thank the Speaker of National Parliament, Oti, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade and Minister Manele for their trust and for the nomination of my candidacy for this important position. I thank the Pacific Members of Parliament for their suppprt as well. I thank my people of East Are Are Constituency for your support, as always. It was humbling to be appointed by acclamation to this position by members of parliament of the ACP . All glory and honour belongs to God,” Kenilorea Jnr said.
Peter Kenilorea Jr represented Solomon Islands in the two Parliamentary bodies since his appointment as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee at the beginning of the 11th Parliament in 2019.
The OACPS Parliamentary Assembly is established under the Revised Georgetown Agreement and compliments the works of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, an institutions under the Cotonou Agreement. The current agreement will be replaced by a new partnership Agreement by the end of 2021.
The Parliamentary Assemblies meet four times a year in plenary and intersessional meetings. The debates by these joint institutional bodies enhance better understanding of issues amongst parliamentarians of the OACPS and the EU, in the bid to foster more effective platforms for cooperation amongst parliaments and towards confronting global challenges and sustainable development.
The process to facilitate the appointment was undertaken through collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Embassy of Solomon Islands in Brussels and Mission to the European Union, and the National Parliament Office.
SOURCE: SOL GOVT/PACNEWS
