Today we are opening the U.S. Embassy in Honiara, Solomon Islands less than one year after we announced our intent to open it. Doing so symbolizes a renewal of our relationship and underlines the strength of our commitment to our bilateral relations, the people of Solomon Islands, and our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.
We value our shared history and sacrifice with Solomon Islands and look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership in a range of areas, including economic development, combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing the challenges of climate change.
The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts not only to place more diplomatic personnel throughout the region, but also to engage further with our Pacific neighbors, connect United States programs and resources with needs on the ground, and build people-to-people ties.
The Department informed the government of Solomon Islands that the opening of the embassy became official as of January 27, 2023, and we thanked them for their support to advance our bilateral relationship in this way.
Russell Comeau will continue to serve as U.S. Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the new U.S. Embassy Honiara. Mr. Comeau arrived in Solomon Islands in October 2021.
