Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele today opened Solomon Islands’ new Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), giving his country a permanent presence in the Gulf region.

Manele skipped the annual General Assembly Meeting of the United Nations in New York, United States, to travel instead to the UEA to open the country’s first diplomatic post in the Arab World.

“Despite the distance between our two countries, divided by the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, today’s opening of our embassy here in Abu Dhabi, has built a bridge of friendship that shortens the distance between our two countries which I hope will translate into win-win outcomes,” Manele told his chief guest Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade.

“Solomon Islands looks forward to learning and benefitting from the experiences of the UAE in transformational partnership especially in trade, investment and other key sectors through strengthening the bilateral relations,” he added.

“The establishment and presence of the Solomon Islands Embassy in the UAE is part of my government’s foreign policy to enhance, strengthen, and advance our bilateral relations and cooperation with the UAE. 

“There are huge opportunities for Solomon Islands to explore and benefit from, in its engagement with the UAE, and we look forward to working closely on areas of cooperation that will be mutually beneficial to both our two countries.”

Manele said he wanted to see his country strengthen cooperation on the area of Labour mobility with United Arab Emirates.  

Currently, six Solomon Islanders serve in the UAE Airforce as aircraft engineers.

He also thanked the government of the UAE for its funding assistance in the area of renewable energy.  

In response, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi lauded his country’s relations with Solomon Islands, saying the inauguration of the new embassy underscores the two nations’ commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation in various sectors.

He also highlighted the role of the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund in developing a solar power plant in the Solomon Islands, built and operated by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).

The new embassy will be headed by seasoned diplomat Cornelius Walegera, who told guests his immediate task is to finalise draft Memorandums of Understanding and agreements to enable their implementation for the mutual benefit of the two countries. 

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister says Manele also had meetings with UAE government officials and potential investors.