The official Atoa o Samoa bilateral discussions led by the government delegations from Samoa and American Samoa officially started on Wednesday and will conclude today. 

Its ending will bring to an end the second round of discussions for this year and hopefully result in outcomes that will have tangible benefits for the two neighbouring Samoan people. 

The opportunities for the two neighbours Samoa and American Samoa to add value to their respective economic growth and prosperity for its citizens are immense and yet to be fully realised.

An article (Cabinet eyes progress in bilateral talks) in yesterday’s edition of the Samoa Observer confirmed the expectations that Samoa’s different Cabinet Ministers have about the bilateral discussions and hope to achieve when it is concluded.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Customs and Revenue, Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio had his eyes on border security and told this newspaper that he is keen on Samoa benefiting from more technical support from the U.S. territory, knowing the level of resources and support that Pago Pago gets from federal agencies in the U.S. mainland.

Minister of Public Enterprises, Leatinuu Wayne So’oialo amongst other issues highlighted the need for a trade office in Pago Pago to assist local Samoan businesses, while the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Vaai pointed out that Samoa’s air traffic control communication system needed to be upgraded due to the fact that Samoa currently monitors all air traffic in the U.S. territory (and gets paid for providing the service).

Having covered previous Atoa o Samoa bilateral discussions in recent years, both in Pago Pago and here in Apia, we must say there are still some outstanding issues that are yet to gain traction or were actioned but faced various hurdles.

Last December Samoa’s Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt announced the start of Samoan meat product exports together with chicken eggs to the U.S. territory. But it hasn’t been exactly smooth sailing for either side with Pago Pago in February this year issuing a ban due to the discovery of contaminated eggs imported from Samoa and falling short of meeting U.S. standards. 

According to the Minister, local poultry producers and retail outlets Frankie and Ah Liki companies were to be part of a trial export agreement, targetting the American Samoa market. So where are the two Samoa neighbours now in relation to their agreement for Samoan meat (sausages) as well as poultry (eggs) products to be exported to American Samoa? Have these hurdles been removed to allow for exports to start or resume and how long is the trial to run for?

During the Atoa o Samoa bilateral discussions in April this year, American Samoa offered 7-day visa-free travel for Samoan residents to the U.S. territory in exchange for the removal of departure tax for American Samoan nationals. However, Samoa’s Prime Minister, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa has clarified that the airport departure tax applies to every departing passenger out of Faleolo International Airport.

In the last Atoa o Samoa bilateral discussions in April, the increasing demand for labour by the Pago Pago-based StarKist fish processing plant was also on the table for discussions. But in the current context of Samoa’s labour shortage crisis, brought on by the deployment of over 6,000 seasonal workers in Australia and New Zealand, we don’t see this agenda making progress any time soon due to increasing concerns within Samoa’s private and public sectors at the country’s growing manpower shortage.

Nonetheless, there is reason to celebrate the Atoa o Samoa bilateral discussions, and the official groundbreaking ceremony early this week in Moata, Apia to mark the start of the construction of American Samoa’s new consulate is a testament to that.

The consulate, upon its building and opening in Apia, will further strengthen relations between the two neighbours and build on the foundation that the Atoa o Samoa bilateral discussions have already put in place. Besides the strengthening of people-to-people relations, the new American Samoa consulate, upon its commissioning can leverage new trade deals between the two neighbours as well as offer networking opportunities at both the government and private sector levels.

These are precarious times for vulnerable island economies – which are not helped by a global economy still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 global pandemic amid the emergence of new conflict zones in Europe and the Middle East – making networking and partnerships between neighbouring island states more logical to forge a pathway forward together for the benefit of the people.