PM thanks Aust for Apec support

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has thanked Australia for supporting PNG’s hosting of the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec), and its understanding on the action required to close down the Manus Regional Processing Centre.
He relayed this to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney on Tuesday.
Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton also attended.
“Progress is being made to close the Manus Regional Processing Centre in compliance with the ruling of the Supreme Court, and all parties are committed to this process,” he said.
“Further technical consultations will take place at the start of 2017 to move to the next level of this process.
“Our cooperation on this policy has saved countless lives of children, women and men who would otherwise have attempted to cross the Indian Ocean in unsafe boats.
“The trade human misery by people smugglers has ended. Now we move to the conclusion of this process.”
O’Neill said PNG was preparing to for the first time host Apec.
Australia hosted the G20 Summit two years ago and Apec in 2007.
“Australia has a wealth of experience and technical information that we are drawing from, and is further providing support and capacity building in areas that include security, logistics and policy development,” he said.