The decision on the future of the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre in Manus will be made in due course.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill when meeting with the Australian Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton on Wednesday said it is important that this process is not rushed but carried out in a careful manner.
“This must take into account the interests of the people of Papua New Guinea and the well-being of asylum seekers and refugees," O’Neill said.
He said both Papua New Guinea and Australia are in agreement that the centre is to be closed.
O’Neill added that officials from PNG and Australia were making important progress and further announcements regarding the closure of the facility will be made in due course.
The Manus Regional Processing Centre was closed following the decision of the Supreme Court that found the existence of the centre to be unconstitutional.
Since 2013, Manus has been hosting hundreds of asylum seekers who attempted to reach Australia before being intercepted by its naval forces and transferred to Manus for processing.