Solomon Islands leader congratulates PM O’Neill
Earlier Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull and Australia’s Opposition leader Bill Shorten on different occasions had sent their congratulatory messages to Mr O’Neill and both had pledged their support to PNG.
In recent days since his return to the top political post by a majority vote on the floor of PNG’s 10th Parliament, the PM had received overwhelming congratulatory messages from counterparts in the region and from the APEC economies.
Small island nation leaders have also congratulated O’Neill on his re-election, including several members of the Pacific Islands Forum who will personally accord him the respect when he (O’Neill) attends the 48th PIF meeting in Apia in two weeks time.
Several APEC economy leaders have also sent their congratulatory messages personally to Mr O’Neill since his reelection.
Mr O’Neill said he has had many of his counterparts congratulate him personally from their countries but it was nothing to make a big issue about as these were regional relations that have been maintained for years.
Late yesterday, a statement from the Solomon Island Opposition leader Jeremaiah Manele congratulated Mr O’Neill on his reelection as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.
In the letter, Manele extended his greetings on behalf of the Solomon Islands parliamentary opposition group to PM O’Neill and the People’s National Congress (PNC) party and its coalition partners.
“Your reelection victory is a true indication of the confidence and trust that the people of PNG have in your party and its coalition partners. Mr Prime Minister, your victory also indicates PNG’s vibrant democratic process which demonstrates that PNG has become a mature democracy,” Mr Manele stated in his letter.
The Opposition Leader also stated that he hopes Prime Minister O’Neill will continue to uphold the strong Melanesian ties with Solomon Islands, which is not only embedded on bilateral cooperation but also on people to people relations and on the common traditions and culture as Melanesian societies.
“As you assume office, I wish to assure you of my personal commitment as well as that of the Solomon Islands Parliamentary Opposition Group, to continue to work closely without you and your administration to further strengthen the strong bilateral relations between our two countries in future,” Manele said in his letter.
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