By GINNAH MINI
THE Governor General Grand Chief, Sir Bob Dadae, has accepted the Letter of Credence from the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, appointing Okto Dornius Manik as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.
Handing over the letter today at the Government House, Mr. Manik said that he was privileged to undertake the responsibility at a time where the two neighboring countries continue to enjoy close and brotherly relations.
“Indonesia highly values Papua New Guinea as a close neighbor and an important partner in the Pacific,” Mr. Manik said.
“Our shared border and geographical proximity are a blessing of nature that provides a strong foundation for deepening cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, people-to-people exchanges, defence and security.”
Mr. Manik said that Indonesia believes that no one should be left behind, and that the two countries cooperation should be inclusive and focused on improving the welfare of all communities, particularly those living in border and remote areas.
Upon receiving the letters, Sir Bob said that before formalizing diplomatic ties in 1975, PNG and Indonesian people were already connected by land, seas, river and strong cultural and family relations that has translated into friendly, cooperative and productive diplomatic relations.
“Indeed, our bilateral ties has deepened in the last 50 years, and Papua New Guinea will continue to respect Indonesia’s sovereignty,” Sir Bob said.
“The extent of our bilateral relationship is evident in the progress and expansion of cooperation in trade and investment, fisheries, health, education, regional security and people to people exchanges.”
Sir Bob encouraged the two countries to step up efforts to facilitate more trade and investment relations between their respective private sectors and State-owned enterprises that will create a benefit-sharing environment for the people.
The Governor General added that by enhancing border and security infrastructure, both countries will not only ensure the smooth-flow of socio-economic exchanges between the people, but will also protect the land and sea borders from illegal activities such as I-U-U (illegal unreported and unregulated) Fishing and human trafficking.
“Papua New Guinea stands in solidarity with Indonesia in promoting world peace, economic stability and environmental security through the regional architecture such as ASEAN, ARF, APEC, NAM, UN, and others,” Sir Bob said.
Sir Bob extended his congratulations to the ambassador and encouraged the two countries to collaborate on climate change, marine biodiversity conversation good governance and issues of mutual concerns at these multilateral platforms.