Indonesia Commits To Maintain Relations

As close neighbours Papua New Guinea and the Republic of Indonesia continues its close relation buoyed by a mutually acceptable bilateral arrangements.

In terms of political, security and defence cooperation, both countries base bilateral relations on the 1986 Treaty of Mutual Respect, Friendship and Cooperation.
 
“We understand that differences may arise in terms of policy and circumstances, but as next door neighbours we remain committed to maintain the mutual respect and friendship we have developed through the years,” says Indonesian Ambassador to PNG, Andriana Supandy.  
 
He said in order to maintain the progress and prioritise the various bilateral initiatives that have been agreed upon thus far, Ambassador Supandy is happy to share that the newly launched Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting of Bilateral Cooperation between the two countries conducted its first meeting at the end of September 2021.
 
Ambassador Supandy said it is hoped that through this mechanism will be effective to ensure that the comprehensive partnership will deliver concrete results in a tangible manner.
 
This cooperation was showcased when on 4th of August 2021, in the presence of Prime Minister, James Marape, Indonesia’s Lieutenant General Joni Supriyanto, Chief of the Strategic Intelligence Division of the Indonesian Armed Forces handed over a PNGDF aircraft engine that was overhauled in Indonesia.
 
According to the Ambassador, this year a number of programs have been prepared by Indonesia including capacity building and training for PNGDF officers, as developed and build the necessary border posts to ensure security at the PNG-Indonesia border is maintained.
 
Meantime, despite the COVID-19 situation affecting both countries in the last two years with Indonesia badly affected in mid-2021, the bilateral trade figures had increased. 
He said based on the data provided by the Indonesian Statistical Bureau, overall bilateral trade from January to October 2021 had increased compared to 2020.
 
“This shows that the COVID-19 pandemic is not preventing business interaction between Indonesia and PNG. I believe that both our economies are on the right track to economic recovery, especially as there are so many potential areas of cooperation that has yet to be explored,” said Ambassador Supandy.
 
To strengthen this, he said Indonesia is committed to finalizing the Indonesia-PNG Preferential Trade Agreement, which was initiated by the Foreign Minister of Indonesia and the Foreign Minister of PNG through a Joint Ministerial Statement signed on March 21, 2019. 
This would bring in good quality product at a competitive and affordable price to raise the quality of life of the people.
Author: 
Press Release