Bishop: Focus is on economic ties

By MALUM NALU

AUSTRALIA and Papua New Guinea are committed to forging closer economic relations, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop says.

She said this after emerging from separate meetings with Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato, Attorney-General Kerenga Kua, National Planning Minister Charles Abel and Works Minister Francis Awesa in Port Moresby yesterday.

“We are friends, we are very close neighbours, but we have now elevated our relationship to one that focuses on economic cooperation.

“It’s been a transformation for this relationship and the Foreign Minister (Pato) and I have spoken about the ways that we can enhance it even further,” Bishop said.

“The new Australian government is determined to make Australia an attractive destination for foreign investment and for trade and business.

“We want to Australian economy to thrive and to grow.

“We will be entering our 23rd consecutive year of growth, but we can’t take that for granted.

“Likewise, PNG has an economy that’s going through a transformation. And we want to ensure that the opportunities that exist between our two countries are enhanced.

“So the focus of my visit here is on economic cooperation. I talk about economic diplomacy as being a cornerstone of our foreign policy.

“Just as the aim of traditional diplomacy is peace, the aim of economic diplomacy is prosperity, and that’s what we want to see both in Australia and PNG – stable, prosperous nations living side by side.”

Bishop said both governments worked closely together and faced similar challenges in a number of ways.

“We both have economies that have been supported by a strong minerals and resources sector,” she said.

“But we need to diversify our economies to ensure that there are opportunities for people across our nation.

“So we have many common interests, many common challenges. I want to thank the foreign minister for the opportunity to discuss this matter.”