President Simina & Vice President Palik pay Official State Visit to Kosrae State

PALIKIR, Pohnpei, August 25th, 2023 — Continuing their first rounds of State Visits, His Excellency Wesley W. Simina, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and The Honorable Aren B. Palik, Vice President of the FSM, have completed their first official state visit to the State of Kosrae, from August 18th – 22nd. Members of their delegation included T.H. Speaker Esmond Moses, Floor Leader Quincy Lawrence and Senator Peter Christian, and members of cabinet. The program featured a municipal tour to the four main municipalities of Tafunsak, Lelu, Malem and Utwe. At each site visit, President Simina and delegation were received by each respective local Mayor, including members of the municipal governments where they presented their priority issues to President Simina for consideration.   Following the site visits to the communities in the municipalities, President Simina and Vice President Palik held a meeting with the Kosrae State Leadership, namely T.H. Governor Tulensa Palik, T.H. Lt. Governor Arthy Nena, T.H. Speaker Semeon Phillip and members of the Kosrae State Legislature, along with staff, church leaders, Mayors, community leaders, representatives of the private sector, and civil society members. During President Simina’s address he thanked the State of Kosrae, under Governor Palik’s able leadership, for hosting recent key events including the FSM Expo, Infrastructure Conference, MTEC (Micronesia Teacher’s Education Conference) and Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) under Title III of the Compact as well as the upcoming FSM Women’s Conference in November. Noting the fortuity of gathering on Gospel Day, a special holiday in Kosrae State, President Simina noted his and the Vice President’s appreciation to the Kosrae leadership for including their visit in the Gospel week program. The President mentioned in his remarks that he hopes that his state visit is seen as bringing hope to the people of Kosrae, elaborating that the Simina-Palik administration is committed to spearheading a strong and proactive domestic policy, as evident in these state visits early on in their administration.   During Governor Palik’s statement he recalled President Simina’s inaugural address, where he then stated that “the role of the central government is to support the advancement of the states and to facilitate and coordinate services and activities” – a much welcome outlook for the State of Kosrae. Governor Palik continued to highlight infrastructure projects that are priority areas, including road improvements, shoreline protection and expansion of the water system. During the discussions that followed, the Simina-Palik administration committed the amount of $20 million dollars to Kosrae State, to support Kosrae’s priorities, and encouraged the state to hold public consultations with stakeholders at all levels to ensure that the decisions around the funding support are inclusive. The First and Second Ladies, along with Mrs. Moses, also supported the pledge of $10,000 to the Kosrae women’s group to assist with their activities for the upcoming FSM Women’s Conference taking place in November.   The Simina-Palik administration wishes to thank the good people of Kosrae for their generous hospitality and productive discussions, and look forward to many more state visits to come.