|
PNG shifts to trade, economic diplomacy
PAPUA New Guinea is embarking on a major policy shift aimed at
redirecting strategic missions overseas to focus on trade and economic
diplomacy.
This was the crux of a broadcast made by Foreign Affairs and Trade
Minister Paul Tiensten and his senior officers on NBC Karai service on
Monday night.
The Minister was accompanied on air by his departmental secretary
Gabriel Pepson, deputy secretary for Trade Alois Taberang, director of
immigration and citizenship division Stephen Barampataz and Ambassador
Lucy Bogari.
“The foreign policy shift we are embarking on was endorsed by NEC,” Mr
Tiensten said, adding that the policy shift was aimed at redirecting all
strategic missions overseas to focus on trade and economic diplomacy as
opposed to the traditional role of political diplomacy.
Mr Tiensten said this policy shift was necessary because of
globalisation.
He said the onus was on giving Papua New Guinea the opportunity to raise
its competitive advantage in order to harness opportunities in foreign
investments and market PNG’s vast potential in trade, investment and
tourism to other countries throughout the world.
He said the collapse of most diplomatic missions in the mid 1990s were
due to funding constraints.
Mr Tiensten said overseas missions were previously staffed by officers
who lacked trade and investment knowledge but this had now changed with
the posting of professional officers.
He said the new policy shift does not mean beefing staff in overseas
missions.
“We are going through a departmental restructure to align the department
with the new policy, taking advantage of what the world is offering.
“We must aggressively pursue our interest in foreign markets in European
Union countries, South America, Asia, United States and the Pacific.
“It’s very important that through this shift we have ambassadors with
line department officers assigned to strategic missions.”
Secretary Gabriel Pepson reiterated that the department was
restructuring the way it does business in PNG’s foreign policy where
more emphasis was placed on economic trade and investments.
He said the shift in the foreign policy was the result of the end of the
“Cold War” and most countries were now concentrating on economic and
trade issues.
Mr Pepson said the first move was the amalgamation of the foreign
affairs and trade departments.
He said further down the line, some line Government departments would be
engaged to push the new foreign policy.
 
|
