SUVA, FIJI – Monday 23rd June 2025 — PRIME Minister James Marape has urged Melanesian leaders to act boldly and in unity as the region faces mounting global challenges.
PM Marape made the call when delivering his statement at the 23rd Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit in Suva today.
Speaking under the summit theme “Shaping a Stronger, Resilient Melanesia for a United Pacific Future”, Marape said Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of political independence is a time not only for national reflection, but for regional recommitment.
“We are Melanesians first — by language, culture, ancestry and geography,” he said. “Our destinies are interconnected. The strength of one is the strength of all.”
On the sensitive issue of West Papua, PM Marape made PNG’s position clear: it does not support the proposed MSG Foreign Ministers’ visit to Indonesia’s Melanesian provinces.
He warned that such a visit would dilute existing high-level diplomatic efforts.
“Engagement must remain at the leaders’ level under the Pacific Islands Forum’s endorsed process,” he stressed, noting PNG’s own dialogue with Indonesia’s president in 2023 alongside Fiji.
Reaffirming PNG’s “unwavering solidarity” with the FLNKS and the Kanak people of New Caledonia, Marape emphasized the need to uphold the right to self-determination and support UN-led processes.
He also called for stricter adherence to MSG governance rules, rejecting the use of external consultants in selecting the MSG Director General and opposing term extensions without legal basis.
“Let us not drift into ad hoc arrangements,” he said. “Our own MSG Agreement must guide us.”
On the economic front, PNG recommitted to joining the MSG Free Trade Agreement once technical WTO alignment issues are resolved, highlighting the deal’s importance for intra-Melanesian trade in agriculture, fisheries, and labour mobility.
Marape also announced the reopening of PNG’s Wutung land border crossing into Jayapura, Indonesia — a step aimed at enhancing trade and regional connectivity.
On climate, he threw PNG’s full support behind Vanuatu’s ICJ initiative seeking legal clarity on state obligations and pushed for a Pacific-led, just transition built on “carbon markets with integrity” and empowering customary landowners.
In a show of cultural pride, PM Marape confirmed PNG would host the next MSG Prime Ministers’ Cup, calling it a celebration of “our shared identity through sport.”
Closing his remarks, the Prime Minister urged the MSG to transform dialogue into tangible outcomes.
“If Melanesia is to thrive, we must evolve,” he said. “Let us be bold in vision, firm in principles, and tireless in delivery.”
“As PNG enters its next 50 years, we do so as part of a Melanesian family — stronger together, and unshakable in purpose.”