Nuku’alofa – 26 July 2023. United States Secretary of State Hon Antony Blinken paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Tonga on 26 July 2023 to dedicate the new US Embassy in the capital, Nuku’alofa and to meet with key Tongan statesmen.
“Proud to dedicate the new U.S. Embassy in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. It’s a testament to our strong ties, the dedication of our people, and the unlimited potential of our relationship,” – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared in a formal ceremony held in the presence of HRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and HRH Crown Princess Sinaitakala Fakafanua of Tonga and senior Tongan ministers.
Secretary Blinken dedicated the new U.S. Embassy in Tonga, which opened in May 2023 and praised the return of Peace Corps volunteers following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tonga and the United States established formal diplomatic relations on 6 November 1972.
Tongan Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku said in a speech welcoming the US Secretary of State, “His presence here today is a testament to the fact that our partnership is growing from strength to strength,” and welcomed a “shared respect for democracy, rule of law and the rights and freedoms of others”.
Secretary Blinkin is the highest level US statesman to have ever visit the Kingdom of Tonga. If followed US Vice President Kamala Harris’s announcement in July 2022 that the USA had decided to open its first embassy in the Kingdom. In September 2023 US President Biden has invited the Tongan prime minister and other regional leaders to the White House in Washington DC for the Pacific Island Forum.
for more information please visit:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/12/fact-sheet-vice-president-harris-announces-commitments-to-strengthen-u-s-partnership-with-the-pacific-islands/
