FSM Information Services
Press Release
President Panuelo, President Kabua, & President Remengesau Discuss COFA Veterans Review Act, & U.S. COFA Negotiation Preparations, With Secretary Wilkie & Director Lawrence
MAJURO—On January 20th 2020 His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with His Excellency David Kabua, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and His Excellency Thomas E. Remengesau Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, met with the Honorable Robert L. Wilkie, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Honorable Suzanne Lawrence, Director for the Office of Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands in the U.S. Department of State, and Her Excellency Karen B. Stewart, Ambassador of the United States of America to the RMI. The purpose of the meeting, which occurred on the margins of the inauguration celebrations for President Kabua and his Cabinet, was to provide updates on the negotiations regarding the Compact of Free Association, as Amended, (COFA) and the COFA Veterans Review Act.
Secretary Wilkie described that, since his last meeting with President Panuelo, he has been lobbying the U.S. Congress to promote the benefits of the COFA Veterans Review Act—a proposed piece of U.S. legislation that would democratize benefits-accessibility to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who reside in the FSM, the RMI, and Palau. Further, the Secretary described how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is building on its plans to implement tele-health services, and the training of service officers who can assist FSM veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in accessing services without relying on telephone calls and navigating complex websites.
Secretary Wilkie also noted that he’s working hard with his U.S. colleagues to ensure that veterans' affairs are a more significant component of the COFA than in the past, emphasizing that his directive from U.S. President Donald J. Trump is to help veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces wherever they reside.
When the subject turned to the negotiations on the COFA, Director Lawrence advised that the U.S.’ various agencies are collaborating on a daily basis to determine answers to questions such as what the U.S.’ negotiating parameters are, which funding can be used and where it is sourced from, and which individuals within which departments, bureaus, and offices will handle which responsibilities. It was advised that, ever since the U.S. Interagency Listening Tours to the FSM, RMI, and Palau, there has been significant momentum in moving forward. It was noted that approximately 30-40 agencies have heard the briefings from the U.S. Interagency Listening Tours, with emphases on the FSM’s, RMI’s, and Palau’s interest in access to U.S. federal programs, education grants, and U.S. Postal Service support, among others.
“Thank you so much, [Director] Suzanne [Lawrence],” President Panuelo said. “You really named it right when you called it a listening tour. I appreciate very much that we were really listened to.”
The meeting ended on a positive note, with President Panuelo, President Remengesau, and President Kabua extending an invitation for more senior U.S. Government officials, including Cabinet Members and Members of Congress, to visit Micronesia, and noting that all three Presidents are looking forward to the timely continuation of ongoing COFA engagements.
