Speaker Figir Meets with US Assistant Secretary Campbell
PALIKIR, POHNPEI. August 9, 2012 – Speaker Isaac V. Figir of the Seventeenth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia recently met with a high level delegation from the United States government headed by Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt M. Campbell.
On August 3rd, Speaker Figir along with certain Congress Members met with Assistant Secretary Campbell and his delegation for frank and candid discussions on various issues of mutual concerns and cooperation among which included the amended Compact of Free Association between the US and the FSM.
Speaker Figir referenced the Compact as a “true model of partnership between two nations,” and underscored that the FSM highly values the special relationship it has with the US through the Compact.
Along with the Speaker, the other Members that welcomed Assistant Secretary Campbell were Floor Leader F. Singkoro Harper, Senator Dohsis Halbert, Senator David W. Panuelo and Senator Tony H. Otto.
The high-level delegation that accompanied Campbell include Admiral Cecil Haney, Commander of the US Navy Pacific Fleet, Ms. Gloria Steele - USAID Mission Director, Mr. Jeffrey Prescot - Special Advisor for Asian Affairs from the Office of US Vice President, Mr. Edgar Kagan - Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Islands Affairs, Ms. Anusha Seneviratne – Desk Officer of the Office of Pacific Islands Affairs, Captain James Wyatt – Executive Assistant to Admiral Haney, LCDR Jon O’Connor – Flag Aide to Admiral Haney and the representative of the US Government to the FSM, Ambassador Peter Prahar of the US Embassy.
Assistant Secretary Campbell and his interagency delegation’s visit to the FSM is part of his tour of the Pacific Island nations of Tonga, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, the FSM, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The tour is Campbell’s second to the FSM and according to the US Embassy press release, the second annual tour of the Pacific “underscores the United States’ commitment to working with its Pacific Island partners to secure a sustainable, prosperous, and peaceful future.”
