By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul
The Korea – Pacific Islands Summit is set to discuss 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent Monday.
This was revealed by Forum Secretary General Henry Puna in an interview with Pacific journalists in Seoul.
“It’s important that if the 2050 is to be meaningful, our partners need to align their development, their assistance with all the priorities that we have set out in the 2050 strategy.
“The U.S is actually doing us a very big favour by publicly saying as well as demonstrating that they are supportive of the 2050 strategy, and they respect and subscribe to it. They are even talking about aligning their priorities with our priorities 2050.
“We can’t ask them anymore than that. What we can ask having align their assistance to our priorities and that they will support us in the implementation of those priorities. I think it’ll come in due course as we deepen our engagement with the U.S,” SG Puna told journalist in Seoul.
He said it’s a pity that the current budget problem in the U.S prevented President Joe Biden from attending the Leaders’ Summit in PNG last week.
“I think it’s a demonstration of how sincerely they feel that’s now prompted them to arrange a conference in Washington with Pacific leaders after the UNGA in September,” said Forum SG Puna.
At their 2019 meeting in Tuvalu, Forum Leaders endorsed the development of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Leaders highlighted their concerns for the region’s enduring challenges such as climate change related impacts, coupled with the intensification of geostrategic competition, exacerbating the region’s existing vulnerabilities.
SOURCE: PACNEWS
