Prime Minister Hon. James Marape extends his heartfelt appreciation to Indonesian President H.E. Joko Widodo for his immensely successful one-day visit to Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. The visit resulted in several significant accomplishments and outcomes.
Reflecting on the visit as President Widodo departed Port Moresby, Prime Minister Marape expressed his jubilation and commendation for the fruitful discussions and achievements reached during the high-level engagement.
“We are deeply honored to host President Widodo, especially considering Indonesia’s remarkable position as the 16th-largest economy in the world with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of US$1.392 trillion and the 7th-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP of US$4.398 trillion. We are privileged to have such an economic giant as our neighbor,” Prime Minister Marape remarked.
He further emphasised the significance of President Widodo’s monumental visit, which focused not only on government-to-government matters but also on the core objectives of Marape’s Pangu Pati: fostering economic growth and enhancing commerce and trade relations.
“The business relations between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea have reached unprecedented levels,” Prime Minister Marape declared.
“We have opened the doors for increased business-to-business engagements between our two countries.”
To facilitate this collaboration at the highest level, Prime Minister Marape announced the establishment of a task force, led by Deputy Prime Minister Hon. John Rosso and International Trade and Investment Minister Hon. Richard Maru, in partnership with the Indonesian counterparts.
One of the notable achievements of the visit was the agreement for Indonesia to sponsor 2,000 Papua New Guinean students to pursue higher education in Indonesian colleges and universities. Prime Minister Marape highlighted the reciprocity of the arrangement, stating, “For every student Indonesia sponsors, we will match their support by sponsoring another student from Papua New Guinea. We aim to foster increased business-to-business and people-to-people relations between our nations.”
Recognising Indonesia’s standing as an economic powerhouse in terms of commerce and trade, Prime Minister Marape expressed the commitment of Papua New Guinea to work closely with Indonesia on trade protocols and border-related issues, with the shared goal of elevating their bilateral relationship to new heights.
Prime Minister Marape concluded by expressing his gratitude once again to President Widodo for his visit and the positive outcomes achieved, expressing optimism for a future characterised by robust cooperation and mutual prosperity.