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Torres eyes even closer ties with Pohnpei, FSM
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres met with two officials of the Federated States of Micronesia in a recent trip to Pohnpei in hopes of building stronger ties with its regional neighbor.
Torres attended the certification ceremony of FSM’s local enforcement agencies after being trained by officers of the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth Ports Authority, and the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting units last week.
Torres had the chance to meet with FSM President Peter Christian and Kolonia Mayor Jose San Nicolas during the ceremony. The CNMI has been helping train its island neighbors in law enforcement, including K-9 units and customs.
Torres said workforce issues were also discussed. “We wanted to do more and build a stronger relationship with Pohnpei and the entire FSM. We talked about building a capacity workforce here.”
“We’re trying to build a closer relationship on how we can work together. Creating some sort of labor assistance here. I know McDonald’s, through Joe Ayuyu, has been hiring from FSM, so we’re trying to see how we can expand that workforce.”
He added that the CNMI and FSM could also share scientific research like the nesting patterns of sea turtles. “We just found out there that a turtle that was laying eggs in Ant Atoll in Pohnpei was tagged. They called [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] and they actually found out that it was tagged [on] Tinian about a year and a half ago. It’s nice to know the fact that we have our programs where we tag turtles and find it in Pohnpei.”
Torres said it’s vital to expand that working relationship with FSM. “it really helps to see how to expand that relationship, that’s something that we’re looking at. Maybe, we can tag a turtle in Pohnpei and see if they’re going to migrate to our side.”
