The United States is reopening its embassy in the Solomon Islands in Oceania. A senior State Department official made the announcement on Saturday. Washington is strengthening its presence in the region amid growing Chinese influence in Oceania, the AFP news agency reported.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is scheduled to visit Fiji, a neighboring country of the Solomon Islands. During his visit to Fiji, he will announce the opening of a new embassy in the Pacific island nation. The announcement came 29 years ago after the United States reduced its diplomatic presence in Honia.
The United States closed its embassy in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, in 1993. Now there is a US Consulate there. Through this consulate, diplomatic relations are conducted in the country. Solomon also has a US embassy in Port Moresby, the capital of neighboring Papua New Guinea.
Violent and deadly riots erupted on the island nation of 800,000 in November last year before the US announcement. The protesters then tried to vandalize the parliament. They then set fire to most parts of Chinatown in the capital, Honiara, for three days.
The unrest is aimed at ousting the veteran Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manseh Sogavare, out of anger over poverty, unemployment and the conflict between one island and another. However, anti-China sentiment also played a role in the days-long violent protests.
The opening of a new embassy in the Solomon Islands would require the approval of the US Congress and the White House on the US State Department’s proposal.
Five countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have called on their citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, fearing that Russia could launch a military strike on Ukraine at any time. However, US President Joe Biden had earlier instructed Americans to leave Ukraine. However, local time on Friday, the White House set a 48-hour deadline for this. News Reuters and BBC.
On Friday, US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan warned that “Russian forces have made final preparations for a major military intervention in Ukraine.” While we can’t say for sure about the future, we do know that the risk of military aggression is much higher now. ”
Shortly after Jack Sullivan’s warning, the White House instructed U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine within the next 48 hours. Earlier, in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Biden called on US citizens to leave Ukraine immediately. He made the announcement after a nine-hour meeting between Ukraine and Russia failed.
“We have to deal with one of the largest armies in the world,” Biden said. The situation is very different. The situation could take a dangerous turn at any time. “