Five Micronesian countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to draft rules and regulations and intergovernmental agreements to formally institutionalize the Micronesia Presidents’ Summit (MPS).
The MOU, which was signed by Palau, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, and Nauru during the 19th Micronesia Presidents’ Summit in Palau on February 22, designates the drafting of the rules and agreements to Palau, who holds the MPS chairmanship this year, which will be subject for review by the other member countries in the next summit.
“The complexity and importance of MPS is increasing, which necessitates the development of appropriate rules of procedure to guide the process of the annual meetings and the follow-through on issues and action items identified at the summits as well as the development of intergovernmental agreements institutionalizing the MPS,” the MOU states.
The MPS is an annual gathering of the state leaders in Micronesia, originally participated by Palau, Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, since 2003 to coordinate efforts pertaining to regional and international issues. Just last year, Nauru and Kiribati officially became members of the MPS. (Rhealyn C. Pojas)