Erin Elizabeth McKee

Top of the agenda were discussions around the importance of the relationship between the United States and Papua New Guinea, and the potential for US support across a range of areas, including infrastructure advisory and the Treasurer’s transparency initiatives.

“The relationship between our countries remains integral, and we are thankful for US support in the past through interventions like the Debt Service Support Initiative (DSSI) and the significant provision of PPEs and medical equipment to the COVID-19 response since last year,” said the Treasurer.  

Her first stop for the official visit was at Governor’s Office where she met Morobe Governor Ginson Saonu and held high level talk on education, law and order and security (police), rural electrification, agriculture (coffee, cocoa, vanilla), governance, infrastructure, military options and war memorial.

Governor Saonu reflected on the shared history Morobe Province shares with United States of America from World War II.

“The United States along with the other allied forces fought for Papua New Guinea and their presence were felt all over most parts of Morobe.”

She will take over from U.S. Ambassador Catherine Ebert-Gray, whose outstanding leadership during the 2018 APEC Leaders’ Summit capped her three years serving in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.