Indonesia’s President Widodo to visit PNG next month

INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo is expected to visit Papua New Guinea on July 6, Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister James Marape announced.
He said the one-day state visit was confirmed during a meeting with the Indonesian Ambassador to PNG Andriana Supundi in Port Moresby on Friday.
Marape said Widodo’s visit would reciprocate a visit he paid PNG’s western neighbour in March last year.
“Papua New Guinea will be honoured to host Indonesian President Widodo next month. He has graciously accepted my invitation,” he said.
Marape said President Widodo’s visit to these shores would come on the back of visits by several world leaders and dignitaries so far this year including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US secretary of state Antony Blinken, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and all Pacific Island leaders last month.
“We will go out of our way to welcome the leader of our closest neighbour, Indonesia, a growing economic powerhouse in the world. PNG sees Indonesia as a huge market right at our doorstep which we must tap into,” he said.
Marape said talks with Widodo would centre on border issues, trade relations and in particular business-to-business relations as well as people-to-people relations.
He highlighted that PNG had always had a good relationship with Indonesia with which it shared a land border, ever since formal relations were established between the two countries in 1976.
“Indonesia stood with us in many fronts, including being responsible for our admission to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec). They have always been there for us in some difficult times, including the recent Covid-19 crisis,” he said.