To date, there has been no official document of the outcomes of the Atoa o Samoa Executive talks that concluded on Friday, as per previous talks whereas a communique is released for public information at the closing of the talks.
Last week a memorandum of understanding was signed between Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and American Samoa Governor, Lemanu Peleti Mauga.
Independent media are banned from the meetings, but only government media were allowed to cover, such as KVZK TV from American Samoa and Savali the government-owned newspaper.
KVZK.TV reported that promoting Government to Government relations and inclusive growth, sustainable infrastructure and interconnectivity and strengthening investments and good governance are the priorities outlined in the MOU.
The goal of the memorandum is to reinforce cooperation between the two Samoa thus fostering the common objective to promote economic development and cooperation to obtain fuller opportunities for social progress.
Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa expressed gratitude for the cooperation and stressed the importance of the implementation of the priorities in the memorandum laying stress on the rule of law, promoting transparency and addressing the issue of the economy, as a precondition for growing investment activities.
Governor Lemanu said that despite the numerous challenges and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government’s mid- and long-term commitment was to contribute to overall economic prosperity through systemic measures.
During their joint press conference in Apia, both leaders said they are glad to support these vital efforts with a contribution of our own. In these times in which greater engagement is necessary, it is more important than ever to join forces not only in order to deal with the current challenges but also in order to put our country’s long-term goals in perspective.
