Solomon Islands leader Manasseh Sogavare has explained that he had more important things to do than attend a White House meeting
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has defended his decision to skip this week’s White House summit with the Pacific region’s leaders, saying he didn’t want to spend time hearing a “lecture” from President Joe Biden’s administration when he had more important concerns to deal with back home.
“I am not to go and sit down at the meeting and listen to them lecture me,” Sogavare told reporters after returning to Honiara from the US on Wednesday. He added that he saw no benefit from attending a similar meeting last year, saying the talks are arranged to give each Pacific Islands leader three minutes to talk, “and then you go and listen to them lecture you about how good they are.”
Sogavare traveled to the US to address the UN General Assembly last week in New York. Earlier this year, he shrugged…