Prime Minister Hon. James Marape will be out of the country for five days from Sunday, July 14, to Friday, July 19, for official visits to Indonesia and Japan. Deputy Prime Minister Hon. John Rosso will be Acting Prime Minister during this period.
Prime Minister Marape travels to Indonesia on Sunday to meet with Indonesian President H.E. Joko Widodo for the Annual Leaders’ Dialogue from July 14-15. This will be the third Dialogue following the inaugural Dialogue in Jakarta in 2022 and the second held in Port Moresby in 2023. Prime Minister Marape will also meet incoming Indonesian President, H.E. Prabowo Subianto, during the visit.
From Indonesia, Prime Minister Marape will head to Japan for the Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting (PALM) Summit from July 16-18, where he will engage with Japanese Prime Minister Hon. Fumio Kishida and Pacific Island Forum Country Leaders.
“Indonesia and PNG share common land and sea borders and there are many issues of common interest which must be discussed at such regular meetings,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“There has been increased focus on trade and commerce between our two countries, so that our produce can find markets in Indonesia, and Indonesian products can find markets in PNG.
“Indonesia has a huge population of more than 270 million people, the fourth-largest in the world, and need food, energy, and other produce. They are the biggest consumer of beef in the world. My focus has been on the export of agricultural produce to Asia, including Indonesia, given their huge population.
“I will be taking with me Livestock Minister Hon. Seki Agisa, Oil Palm Minister Hon. Francis Maneke, International Trade and Investment Minister Hon. Richard Maru, and Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Justin Tkatchenko to this important meeting.
“Indonesia continues to assist us, the latest being this week, when four plane loads of relief material were flown in for flood victims and Western and landslide victims in Enga.
“I look forward to meeting with President Widodo to discuss these and other matters including bilateral relations, education, and various other matters. Indonesia-PNG relations must be maintained going forward with incoming President Subianto.”
In Japan, Prime Minister Marape said he will hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and have an audience with Emperor Naruhito, apart from the PALM Summit.
“Japan is a big importer of PNG produce, including LNG, minerals, fisheries, forestry, and agriculture,” he said.
“During the visit to Japan, I will also have the opportunity to visit Japanese technology, agriculture, and road construction projects.
“Japan is also keen on PNG continuing to supply them with energy, and I will be discussing this further with them during my visit.
“Our two countries must continue to enjoy good people-to-people, business-to-business, and government-to-government relations.”
