Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2022

September 29, 2022

The President. Well, I thought we'd give you a break, but they haven't let inâhaven't let up at all.

Thank you so very much. Folks, I think this has beenâwe've been looking forward to this for a long time. And it's wonderful to welcome you all for the first time together, leaders of the Pacific Islands, in Washington. You know, this summit honors a deep history that our nations share and a longstanding trade and diplomatic relationships and a shared fight to defend freedom.

And the sacrifices we made together, the partnerships between ourâamong our peoples helped bring an end to the bloody war in the Pacific during World War II. And recently, we honored the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal at a memorial in the Solomon Islands.

And today, security in the Pacific and for the Pacific Islanders remains as critical as ever to us and I hope to you as well. To secureâthe security of America, quite frankly, and the world depends on your security and the security of the Pacific Islands. And I really mean that.

So this summit is also about deepening our enduring commitment to each other and our shared future; our commitment to tackling the climate crisis, which threatens all of us. We're seeing the consequences of climate change around the world very vividly, including in the United States right now. And I know your nations feel it acutely. And for you all, it's an existential threat. It's an existential threat.

And we're also committed to working together to equitably rebuild the global economy in the wake of COVIDâ19 and Russia's war, you know, to ensure an Indo-Pacific region that's free and open, one that is stable and prosperous and resilient and secure.

A great deal of the history of our world is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific over the coming years and decades. And the Pacific Islands are a critical voice in shaping that future. And that's why my administration has made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with your countries and with the Pacific Islands Forum.

I was honored to be the first U.S. President to address the Forum last year. And Vice President Harris shared our vision for cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum at your leaders' meeting. This year, we also launched the Partners in the Blue Pacific initiativeâkind of poetic, isn't it?âthe Partners in the Blue Pacificâ[*laughter*]âbut it's an initiative we really care aboutâto more effectively coordinate with our allies and partners around the world to better meet the needs of the people across the Pacific.

That's why this historic summitâat this historic summit we're making additional and concrete commitments. And we're launching our Pacific Partnership Strategy, the first national

U.S. strategy for Pacific Islands, which is a key component to our broader Indo-Pacific strategy.

We're also taking several important diplomatic steps. And I'm proud to announce that, following appropriate consultations, we will recognize the Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign states. And we look forward to successfully concluding negotiations for a compact of free association with three of our closest partners in the region: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

The United States is committed to consulting with all of you and engaging collaboratively at every turn, because it's very much in our interest as well as, I hope, yours. That's what this summit is all about.

And with your permission, I'd also like to briefly address the shameless and transparent effort by Russia to annex parts of its neighbor, Ukraine. The United StatesâI want to be very clear about this: The United States will never, never, never recognize Russia's claims on Ukraine sovereign territory. This so-called referenda was a shamâan absolute shamâand the results were manufactured in Moscow.

And the true will of the Ukrainian people is evident every day as they sacrifice their lives to save their people and maintain the independence of their country and in defense of freedom as well. Russia's assault on Ukraine in pursuit of Putin's imperial ambitions is a flagrantâa flagrantâviolation of the U.N. Charter and the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

I'm grateful to the Pacific Island leaders for standing up for these basic principles and for your strong, moral leadership on global issues at the United Nations.

And I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you. And I'm even looking forward toâeven more looking forward to hosting you at myâthe White House tonight for dinner. I don't know what's on the menu yet, but I hope it's good. [*Laughter*]

But, all kidding aside, I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight. And I'm going to turn it over to Secretary Blinken.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Thank you very much. Mr. President. [At this point, the session continued; no transcript was provided.]

NOTE: The President spoke at 3:15 p.m. at the Department of State. In his remarks, he referred to President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin of Russia.

Categories: Addresses and Remarks : U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit. Locations: Washington, DC.

Names: Blinken, Antony J.; Harris, Kamala D.; Putin, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Subjects: Coronavirus pandemic, international cooperation efforts; Environment : Climate change; Foreign policy, U.S. : Diplomatic efforts, expansion; Foreign policy, U.S. : Foreign aid policies and funding; Natural disasters : Climate change impacts; Pacific Island nations, relations with U.S.; Russia : President; Russia : Ukraine, airstrikes and invasion; State, Department of : Secretary; Ukraine : Russian airstrikes and invasion; White House Office : Vice President.

DCPD Number: DCPD202200846.