President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met with President Surangel Whipps, Jr. of Palau, President Wesley Simina of Micronesia, and President Hilda Heine of Marshall Islands today in New York at the United Nations to celebrate the renewal of the Compacts of Free Association and Compact-related agreements, which will reinforce the uniquely close relationships between the United States and the Freely Associated States for another 20 years. The President underscored his commitment to providing health care support to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Freely Associated States, which serve at higher per capita rates than most U.S. states. The President thanked the leaders of the Freely Associated States for their continued support of the United States’ growing engagement with the Pacific Islands. The leaders reaffirmed the need to cooperate on issues of mutual importance to all four countries, including the impacts of climate change and sea level rise.

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