PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare has openly welcomed the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to confirm a sister relationship last month between the Port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan and the Port of Honiara in Solomon Islands.
Sogavare and his delegation were at hand to witness the signing ceremony alongside ROC’s Foreign Affairs Minister David Lee in Taipei when he was on Official visit to the Republic of China on Taiwan.
The MOU was sealed on September 25 by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Solomon Islands Ports Authority Eranda Kotelewala and the vice-president and CEO of Kaohsiung Port, Taiwan International Ports Corp, Shao-Liang Chen in the presence of SIPA Chairman Billy Titiulu and SIPA Directors Johnny Sy and Humphrey Tura.
The historic achievement for the Solomon Islands leading SOE is the first sister port MoU with one of the largest ports in the world.
The MoU sets out areas for corporation between the two ports which will promote and develop greater understanding, friendship, and trade opportunities between the Port of Kaohsiung and the ports of Honiara and Noro.
Through this sister port relationship, the Port of Kaohsiung and the Port of Honiara mutually agree to conduct exchanges of information and personnel related to port development, administration and operations in order to enhance mutual understanding.
The benefits expected from the MoU are the enhancement of the traditional friendship between the Republic of China and Solomon Islands and fostering of greater mutual prosperity and growth by the sharing of information and ideas regarding port planning, infrastructure and technology.
–GCU
