Indonesia, Papua New Guinea Increase Cooperation in Various Fields

Port Moresby, MINA – Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG) James Marape at APEC Haus on Wednesday. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed increasing cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

One of them, President Jokowi conveyed Indonesia’s commitment to continue to increase cooperation with Pacific countries, including Papua New Guinea. He said Indonesia and PNG had agreed to develop a development cooperation roadmap for the next five years.

“Indonesia will also immediately start renovating facilities at the Port Moresby Hospital, building a firefighters post, waste management at Vanimo, building a school in Wutung, and increasing scholarships for PNG students,” Jokowi said in his press statement after the meeting.

Apart from that, Jokowi and Marape also discussed increasing cooperation in the economic field between Indonesia and PNG. According to Jokowi, trade between Indonesia and PNG in 2022 will increase sharply to reach USD 307 million.

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“This needs to be continuously improved by encouraging the continuation of PTA (preferential trade agreement) discussions, forming a Business Council, visiting trade and investment missions, participating Indonesian SOEs in highway construction in PNG,” said the President.

As for connectivity and borders, Jokowi said he welcomed a number of policies and opened activities at the border. Starting from opening the PNG Express shipping route, opening the Denpasar-Port Moresby flight route, ratifying the Basic Agreement on Border Arrangement, to reopening the Skouw-Wutung crossing post.

President Jokowi and PM Marape also discussed Indo-Pacific cooperation. Jokowi conveyed his commitment to increase Indonesia and ASEAN’s engagement with the Pacific.

“Including inviting Pacific representatives to the East Asia Summit and organizing the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum,” said the President. (R/RE1/P2)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)