JULY 16 2022
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday (July 14 2022) at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, prior to the convening of the 51st PIF Leaders Retreat at the PIF Secretariat Headquarters.
Being the first meeting since PM Albanese was elected, their initial exchanges were practical and reassuring.
PM Marape, at the outset, acknowledged the strong and excellent bilateral relations between PNG and Australia and took the occasion to congratulate PM Albanese on his recent election as Prime Minister of Australia.
Relations between the two countries have matured and strengthened since PNG’s Independence in 1975.
Most recently, the Australian Government provided much-needed budgetary support to PNG at the height of COVID-19.
“Australia stepped in at a very critical period by providing this budgetary support that enabled us to reconfigure and tidy our public accounts,” PM Marape said.
“Prior to this, I concluded the Comprehensive Strategic Economic Partnership (CSEP) with the immediate past Australian Prime Minister at the Inaugural Virtual Annual PNG Australia Leaders Dialogue.
“This new economic development partnership expands across various sectors including transport, infrastructure, health, education and cultural exchanges and has been factored into a Plan of Action to implement the CSEP which we also endorsed.
“My Government worked closely with former Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, in elevating Australia-PNG economic relationship through the CSEP.
” I look forward to progressing the agenda of increasing economic and trade relationships between our two countries.
“During our discussions, I thanked Prime Minister Albanese for Australia’s continued economic infrastructure support for ports, bridges, roads and airstrips through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
“In ensuring the region benefitted from the AIFFP, I requested for Prime Minister Albanese to be accommodative, flexible and favourably consider requests from other Pacific Island countries to access the AIFFP to improve their economic infrastructures and other development needs.
“These arrangements signal an economic partnership with Australia on equal terms that are not subservient to Australia.
“In response, Prime Minister Albanese acknowledged our historical ties, reaffirmed that this was a partnership of equals, and that his Labor Government was prepared to listen and assist PNG in its development requirements where necessary.”
Other issues between the two leaders included the socio-economic development agenda for the 51st PIF and more particularly the Micronesian issue that threatened regional stability.
“We both agreed that all members of the Pacific Islands Forum were equal and should be respected, despite their lower populations and sparsity,” PM Marape said.
“I also discussed issues relating to Santos’ decision to offload equity to Kumul Petroleum and will shortly be dispatching a letter to Prime Minister Albanese for his consideration and advice.
“We also spoke about PNG’s bid to join the NRL in 2025 and I sought Prime Minister Albanese’s intervention on the same, which he agreed to.
“To conclude our meeting, I re-extended my invitation for Prime Minister Albanese to visit PNG in September to coincide with the Annual PNG/Australia Ministerial Forum in Wewak as a mark of respect to the Late Grand Chief Somare who had longstanding ties with the Australian Government.”
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