PM RECEIVES FAREWELL COURTESY CALL FROM OUTGOING INDONESIAN ENVOY

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele of Solomon Islands met with outgoing Indonesian Ambassador Andriana Supandy on Saturday for a farewell courtesy call, reflecting on the growing relationship between the two nations.

Strengthening Bilateral Ties

The meeting marked the end of Ambassador Supandy’s more than six-year tenure, which began in August 2019. Prime Minister Manele commended the Ambassador for his contributions to strengthening relations between Solomon Islands and Indonesia.

Manele expressed appreciation for Indonesia’s support in areas including education, trade, agriculture, fisheries, sports, policing cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. He specifically highlighted the Friendship Hall, funded and constructed by Indonesia, as a major milestone, noting its use for sporting events and regional meetings like the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.

Ambassador Supandy conveyed greetings from the President of the Republic of Indonesia and thanked Prime Minister Manele for his support, including during his time as Minister for Foreign Affairs. He also expressed his pleasure at witnessing the opening of the 2023 Pacific Games.

Future Cooperation

Indonesia plans to dispatch a scoping mission to Solomon Islands to assess priority areas and understand the needs of the Solomon Islands people. Prime Minister Manele welcomed this initiative, anticipating it will enhance Indonesia’s development cooperation.

Discussions covered ongoing and future collaboration, including a Memorandum of Understanding on education, police cooperation, women empowerment, and capacity-building programs. Potential collaboration in health, tourism, civil registration, aviation, visa waiver arrangements, and marine conservation – including the Coral Triangle Initiative – were also discussed.

Prime Minister Manele acknowledged the many important initiatives facilitated by Ambassador Supandy, deepening the friendship between the two countries. He reaffirmed Solomon Islands’ respect for Indonesia’s sovereignty and emphasized their shared interests as archipelagic nations.

Looking ahead, Prime Minister Manele noted Solomon Islands’ upcoming 50th Independence Anniversary in 2028 and expressed his anticipation of celebrating with development partners, including Indonesia.