During a ceremony, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai expressed gratitude to the citizens and residents of the country, along with all development partners, for their hard work and contributions to nation-building.
“I want to congratulate and acknowledge the efforts of all citizens, residents, NGOs, civil society, and foreign volunteers for their invaluable work in aiding the development of Vanuatu.”
Vanuatu gained independence from joint colonial rule by Britain and France on May 30, 1980.
In other news, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported that Vanuatu’s Internal Affairs Minister Johnny Koanapo announced the arrival of new passport machines as a “fitting present” coinciding with the independence celebrations.
Koanapo stated that these machines, which arrived on Saturday and are expected to print over 1,000 passports per week, will be installed soon. Engineers tasked with the installation are expected to arrive in Vanuatu on Wednesday, with at least one machine anticipated to be operational by Friday.
Currently, there are 7,000 passports pending, according to Koanapo.