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The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is poised to make a decision to upgrade the membership of Guam and American Samoa, marking a major shift for the U.S. territories.
Forum officials recently visited both regions as part of an assessment of membership applications, the findings of which will be discussed at the upcoming 53rd Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Tonga.
Guam’s Acting Governor, Lt. Joshua Tenorio, stressed the importance of their inclusion, saying, “The Pacific Islands Forum needs to be complete.”
Esala Nayasi, deputy secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, confirmed the applications and stressed their importance in regional politics. “The Pacific Islands Forum’s mission to address Pacific issues will benefit from their participation,” Nayasi said.
Although the territories will be non-voting associate members, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has supported their participation regardless of their political status.
The move reflects a wider recognition of the territories’ strategic importance in the Pacific’s political landscape.
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