United States–Vanuatu relations

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American-Vanuatuan relations
Map indicating locations of USA and Vanuatu

United States
Vanuatu

The United States and Vanuatu established diplomatic relations on September 30, 1986 – three months to the day after Vanuatu had established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.[1] Relations were often tense in the 1980s, under the prime ministership of Father Walter Lini in Vanuatu, but eased after that. At present, bilateral relations consist primarily in US aid to Vanuatu, and are cordial.

1980s

Early relations and tensions

Vanuatu obtained independence from

East and West.[2]

In 1986, Vanuatu condemned the

CIA is involved in all sorts of similar activities. In Nicaragua, the Americans are supporting terrorists."[3]

These statements marked the lowest point in U.S.–ni-Vanuatu relations.

In January 1987, Prime Minister Walter Lini and Foreign Affairs Minister

Exclusive Economic Zone, alongside Soviet ships. In May, Vernon A. Walters, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, visited Vanuatu.[4]

In 1991, Lini lost office after eleven years at the head of the ni-Vanuatu government. Relations between Washington and

Port-Vila
remained infrequent but mostly cordial.

US aid

Between 1977 and 1987, Vanuatu received just under $3 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (

USAID), including projects focusing on assisting the transition to indigenous plantation management. In June 1994, the regional USAID office located in Suva, Fiji
, was closed due to U.S. Government budgetary cutbacks. The U.S. military retains training links and conducts ad hoc assistance projects in Vanuatu.

1990s

Following the

Kanak National Liberation Front in New Caledonia, its systematic enmity towards France, its flirting with radical regimes, and its openly anti-American nuclear-free Pacific stance." Francophones held power, under Carlot Korman or Serge Vohor, until 1998.[5]

2000s

In March 2006, the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a five-year $65.69 million Compact agreement with Vanuatu. The Millennium Challenge Program is expected to increase average income per capita by 15% within five years and directly impact the lives of more than 65,000 of the rural poor in Vanuatu.

Vanuatu identified costly and unreliable

warehouses
—that will help poor, rural agricultural producers and providers of tourist related goods and services reduce transportation costs and improve access to transportation services. The Compact also includes institutional strengthening efforts and policy reform initiatives in Vanuatu's Public Works Department, including: provision of plant and equipment for maintenance; introduction of service performance contracts; establishment of local community maintenance schemes; and introduction of user fees.

The United States also remains a major financial contributor to international and regional organizations that assist Vanuatu, including the

UN Fund for Population Activities, and the Asian Development Bank
.

In 1989, the United States concluded a Peace Corps agreement with Vanuatu. The Peace Corps currently has over 80 volunteers in-country. The United States also provides military training assistance.

2010s and 2020s

In 2023, the United States announced plans to open up an embassy in Vanuatu, as part of a larger regional push to strengthen ties in the Pacific.[6]

Military relations

Prior to Vanuatu's independence, the United States maintained a large naval base in Luganville, in the then-New Hebrides, during World War II, which housed approximately 250,000 soldiers.[7] In June 2018, President Tallis Obed Moses requested that the United States consider reestablishing a military base in Vanuatu.[7]

Principal U.S. embassy officials

References

  1. ISBN 2-7099-1125-6
    , p.278
  2. ^ HUFFER, Elise, Grands hommes et petites îles: La politique extérieure de Fidji, de Tonga et du Vanuatu, op.cit., pp.272–282
  3. ^ HUFFER, Elise, Grands hommes et petites îles: La politique extérieure de Fidji, de Tonga et du Vanuatu, op.cit., p.275
  4. ^ HUFFER, Elise, Grands hommes et petites îles: La politique extérieure de Fidji, de Tonga et du Vanuatu, op.cit., pp.279–280
  5. ISBN 0-8248-2048-7
    , pp.25–7
  6. ^ "US set to open Tonga embassy in May as Pacific push ramps up". The Guardian. 2023-05-02. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  7. ^
    Daily Post
    .

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.

External links

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