Kilili, Amata cheer Yun’s appointment for Compact talks

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) is encouraged by President Joe Biden’s appointment of Ambassador Joseph Yun as the federal representative for the resumption of the stalled negotiations for the Compacts of Free Association.

In his e-kilili newsletter over the weekend, Sablan said he looks forward with working with Yun to ensure swift approval of the agreements. The Compact is an international agreement governing the relationships between the United States and the three Pacific Island nations: Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.

Yun is an experienced diplomat, known as an expert on Washington’s strategic thinking for the Asia-Pacific. He brings 33 years of diplomatic experience, including as the former U.S. special representative for North Korea policy from October 2016-May 2018; the United States ambassador to Malaysia from 2013-2016; and principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2011-2013. State Secretary Antony J. Blinken announced the appointment of Yun last Tuesday.

Sablan said economic assistance provisions of the Compacts of Free Association with the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia will expire in 2023 and with the Republic of Palau in 2024. Sablan said renewal negotiations were announced in the previous administration without substantive progress.

The U.S. has a special and longstanding relationship with the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau—collectively known as the Freely Associated States.

Blinken said they are currently engaged in negotiating amendments to certain provisions of the Compact with the FAS, and that completing the negotiations is a priority for the Biden administration.

Blinken said the Compacts reflect the close relationship between the U.S. and the FAS and are a critical source of regional security, stability, and prosperity.

Last July, Sablan, along with other U.S. House members, wrote to Biden asking that his administration prioritize negotiations with the FAS and that he appoint a special envoy to coordinate interagency efforts to renew the Compacts, which he has done now.

American Samoa Delegate Uifa’atali Amata Radewagen also hailed the appointment of Yun, seeing it as ‘a critical step forward.”

“I welcome this development,” said Amata. “Throughout recent months, I’ve publicly expressed urgency in the need for this appointment to get done, so I’m delighted to see this critical step forward in the process. These friends and allies deserve proper negotiations with a ranking diplomat. I believe this appointment carries the necessary importance to ensure their message can be communicated straight to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of the Interior. I look forward to a renewed long-term U.S. commitment in cooperation with these key friendships in our region.”