US deal with Marshall Islands lapses without renewal, but Cofa talks continue; Micronesia and Palau reaffirm ties
- The Compact of Free Association (Cofa) pact, which has steered ties between Washington and the Marshall Islands since 1986, expired on Saturday
- The Biden administration successfully agrees on a renewal with Micronesia and Palau, the two other Pacific island nations with Cofa pacts with the US
A deadline of strategic importance for Washington passed without a breakthrough on Saturday night.
As lawmakers remained occupied with averting a federal government shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline, the Compact of Free Association (Cofa) pact that had steered ties between Washington and the Marshall Islands for decades expired on September 30.
No public announcement has been made on the renewal. The US State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the status of months-long negotiations.
The deal, reached in 1986, grants the US military access to the Marshall Islands’ land, air and sea in exchange for financial aid and a legal basis for Marshallese to live, work and go to school in the US.
With growing fears of what has been called Beijing’s coercive influence campaign, the agreement is seen as crucial to Washington’s efforts to maintain its presence in the strategically vital Pacific region.
