Bairiki, Tarawa —– The Government of Kiribati stands in solidarity with its Micronesian family and reaffirms its support for the Micronesian Presidents Summit’s (MPS) Mekreos Communique and the sub-region’s collective intention to withdraw their membership from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
This position was decided last year based on Micronesia’s understanding of a Gentlemen’s Agreement for sub-regional rotation that must be honoured in the appointment of the next Secretary General of the Forum.
At a Special Virtual Meeting convened on 8 February 2021, the Presidents of the five members of the MPS discussed the outcomes of the Special Pacific Islands Forum Retreat held last week including the selection process used to appoint the next Secretary General.
The outcome of this selection was disappointing to Micronesia as the principle of inclusivity and informal geographical rotation through a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’, was not honoured by their Pacific Islands Forum colleagues.
Micronesia had earlier issued a strong call for fair representation by all members as able contributors to the shared legacy and aspirations of this grouping.
Being the region’s premier political organisation, the Pacific Island Forum had only been headed once by Micronesia in its 50-year history.
Following this meeting, the Micronesian Presidents jointly agreed that all five nations will initiate the formal process of withdrawing from the Pacific Islands Forum, as set out in the Agreement Establishing the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
As part of this formal withdrawal process, the Government of Kiribati will immediately undertake due consultations with respect to its own internal legal and procedural requirements.
Ultimately, the decision to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum rests with the Government of Kiribati.