The Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko is on an official visit to New Zealand to negotiate the introduction of diplomacy classes for the Foreign Affairs department of Papua New Guinea.
During their visit to the Victoria University, they hope to make arrangements for up to 250 young people from PNG to receive diplomacy training over a period of five years.
The Minister emphasized the importance of regional security and highlighted the positive relationship between New Zealand and PNG in terms of defense training. The delegation will also show their support for the PNG Female Football team, currently in New Zealand.
In addition to their time in New Zealand, the Minister and his colleagues will also be traveling to Canberra, Australia for the Ministerial Forum at the National Parliament. The main focus of the forum will be finalizing the security treaty between Australia and PNG, as well as improving the visa system between the two countries to make travel easier for citizens.
Minister Tkatchenko said, “The processing time for visas at present takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks. We aim to reduce this time frame to 2 weeks or less through the implementation of online processing. Additionally, we are also working towards achieving a better understanding and fairer treatment of Papua New Guineans traveling to Australia by the Australian Border Force and Home Affairs.”
He added, “This is a mutually beneficial relationship, as while Australia only offers a 30-day visa for visitors from PNG, Papua New Guineans are eligible for a three-year visa when traveling to Australia. We hope to achieve positive outcomes from our efforts on February 17th.”