Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare says he returned because there were 10 weeks left of parliament at home in the Solomon Islands, which was more important.
Sogavare says he attended the first summit last year and "nothing came out of it". / Photo: Reuters
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare has said he skipped a Pacific Islands leaders summit at the White House this week to avoid a"lecture" and because he had more pressing issues at home. Sogavare, who has built close ties with China, held a press conference on Wednesday after arriving back in the Solomon Islands from the United States, where he spoke at the United Nations but did not join other Pacific Island Forum leaders in Washington for a two-day summit.
US President Joe Biden met the Pacific island leaders for a second White House summit in just over a year on Monday, part of a charm offensive aimed at curbing inroads by China into a region Washington considers strategically crucial."They lecture you about how good they are", he said, according to a video of the press conference published by Solomon Islands media company Tavuli News on Wednesday evening.
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