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South Pacific Independent News Network · 10-10-2020, 12:34 PM

Year 18 | 09 October 2020

OCTOBER 2020 CABINET ELECTION
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERVIEW
Moderator: James D. Halpert | Participant: Omega

WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER 2020 MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERVIEW

I am James Halpert and I will be the host of this interview with Omega, candidate for Minister of Foreign Affairs. This interview is sponsored by the South Pacific Independent News Network.

The format of this interview will consist of a single section:

• The only section will feature questions on the candidate’s qualifications, intended policies and their vision for the coming term.

The candidate is asked to clearly mark the end of their answers so that I may know when to move on to the next question and to answer no later than 3 minutes after a question has been asked.
Opening Statement

[Omega] I just want to note how glad I am to get to participate in this forum this afternoon and how excited I am to see what questions come out of it! Thanks again for putting this on.

Q&A

You have served before as Minister of Foreign Affairs. What drove you to run this time around?

[Omega] I wanted to run as it is a position I think allows me to use skills I have to continue to serve the Coalition to be best of my ability. Additionally, it goes without saying that major events are likely on the horizon for MoFA and I felt that my past experience would best position me to be the chief diplomat of the Coalition.

Do you think the Secretaries of State model has been beneficial to the ministry and, if so, are there any adjustments or changes to it that you have in mind if you are elected?

[Omega] I think it has very beneficial, after all it was a model I pioneered. I would like to reduce the total number of postings we have as I don't think we have the staff capability and I would like to do some to increase the amount of information complied by the secretaries. Overall, I am encouraged by the fact it has freed up the Minister for the last two terms to have more flexibility with their personal projects as opposed to just being a full time HR manager for the Ambassador Corps.

What do you think is the benefit of the Secretaries of State system for both the ministry and its members compared to a traditional foreign service?

[Omega] First it helps to ensure you have developing leadership in the ministry outside of the minister and advisors, who are almost always already experienced in the field. Second, as stated earlier, it allows the Minister to focus on working directly with four Secretaries as opposed to a full staff of Ambassadors, freeing them to work on other projects and deepening relationships with allies.

What do you think are the main foreign policy challenges facing the region right now?

[Omega] The biggest one continues to be us defining our place in the Defender sphere. I think that question will be the primary focus of our foreign policy for the next four months.

Do you intend to pursue the agenda of a defender alliance?

[Omega] I am open to engaging with our allies in the sphere on the idea and working to see what kind of mutually beneficial, multilateral, outcome can be achieved. I don't want to make any commitments on what form that will take as I won't be able to know until I am in the room with our friends from abroad and we can all discuss our hopes and concerns for such a project.

Jay Coop suggested in a recent opinion column that a South Pacific-led alliance would not need to compete with groups such as the Consortium and the World Assembly Legislative League (WALL). What is your opinion on this?

[Omega] Both WALL and Consortium are led, to some degree, by allies of ours, TNP and TEP respectively. We have been able to continue to work with them thus far and I see no reason that outright hostility, initiated by us, would be warranted towards them. But if such an alliance became a reality as Jay described, I will not be the only person making a decision about our approach to those other alliances.

Recently the South Pacific ratified a treaty with the Free Nations Region, but some legislators expressed concerns that the alliance lacked a public groundwork. How would you ensure that the region knows its main regional partners before treaties with them are presented to the Assembly?

[Omega] First and foremost, I am glad to see we have a treaty with FNR given their status in the Defender community. I do hear those concerns and would work to ensure the Assembly is able to provide feedback on potential partners and work with the new MoC to ensure we build a cultural relationship with potential treaty regions in the future.

Do you think there are other areas of improvement for the region's handling of foreign affairs, both towards the Assembly and towards other regions?

[Omega] I think we should continue to be open about our affairs with our partners abroad and continue to inform the broader community about our achievements. I would like us to brag about ourselves a bit more, after all, there is a lot to brag about given the fine work being done all around the region.

With the Assembly I will work to be open with Assembly members, as much as possible given security concerns, but FA is never going to be as transparent as MoRA has been in the past.

Are there any regions that you think are worth approaching, either for a formal alliance or simply for closer contact or cooperation?

[Omega] I am actually quite fond of our portfolio of allies, partners, and regions with whom we have normalized relations with, at this point. I think we have a foundation at the point where we should be focusing more on deepening existing ties, as opposed to trying to create new ties.

Who was the best candidate for Governor at Boys State?

[Omega] I can confidently say I was friends with both candidates and to me that election was less about the candidates and more about the conduct of their party, and for that reason I did vote Federalist.

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Omega] I don't think it matters so long as it is topped with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream.

But if I had to choose, cake.

Closing Statement

[Omega] I would just like to extend my thanks for y'all at SPINN for conducting this interview and would invite anyone, TSPer or not, to reach out with any questions they may have for me about this campaign. I do hope I will be able to serve as our chief diplomat for the next four months and if elected, look forward to dedicating myself to that work. Thank you all for tuning in and I look forward to seeing you all at the polls.

This concludes the October 2020 Minister of Foreign Affairs Interview. Thank you Omega for participating and thank you to our audience for attending. See you at the polls!

The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 with the goal of providing good, insightful and timely commentary on regional events for the citizens of the South Pacific. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published via pseudonyms. The SPINN is not associated with the Government of the South Pacific.