By ORCHY REX
THE National Executive Council (NEC) has approved for Trade Commission Service to officially start, with the appointment of PNG Honorary Trade Commissioners to Australia and the Republic of Philippines.
Rex Paki has been appointed as the PNG’s Honorary Trade Commissioner to Australia while His Excellency Dr. Bienvenido Tejano takes up Papua New Guinea’s Honorary Trade Commissioner role to the Republic of Philippines.
International Trade and Investment Minister Hon. Richard Maru announced their appointments today at the International Trade and Investment Head Office in Downtown, Port Moresby.
Minister Maru said these individuals are people of high repute and have extensive network and that they will best represent PNG’s interest.
“We are looking at making similar appointments for other countries with priority being Indonesia,” the Minister said.
He said one of the requirements to being appointed also is that; you must be a resident of that country and agree to represent PNG well there.
“These appointments are important because PNG is moving from foreign relationships based on diplomatic relationships to now having relationship anchored on trade and investment.”
Minister Maru said they have appointed people who have knowledge and skills to help advance PNG’s two-way trade and investment relationship with major countries of the world including securing markets for the country’s LNG Gas, mining and agriculture products, forestry and fisheries sectors.
“The primary responsibility of the appointed trade commissioners will be to look for export markets for PNG goods and to promote trade and investment opportunities in PNG to attract foreign direct investments in our special economic zones.
“They will also be instrumental in helping us to arrange trade and investment conferences around the world like the recent one that was staged in Hong Kong last year,” he said.
Maru said the appointed Trade Commissioners are private citizens with their own office setup and they will represent PNG in handling all trade and investment enquiries and they will report directly to the Minister for International Trade and Investment and the Secretary for Department of International Trade and Investment in the discharge of their duties.
The Minister added that PNG will save K5 million a year by appointing honorary trade commissioners who are not paid by the government of Papua New Guinea and not a staff of PNG Diplomatic Service.
“However, they will work very closely with the Papua New Guinea Heads of Missions and Diplomatic Staff in all our High Commissions and PNG embassies throughout the world.”
