New US envoy stresses training opportunities

THE new US Ambassador Teddy Taylor said his country is happy to offer training opportunities for Papua New Guineans.
Mr Taylor said this when he paid a courtesy call on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration Minister Sam Abal last week.
He told Mr Abal that PNG should nominate candidates to attend the Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawaii.
Mr Taylor said security was an area of priority in the region which he, as the first African American US ambassador to this part of the world, would push for.
He noted that Mr Abal had a submission before the National Executive Council for PNG to take part in US peace-keeping operations, saying that the US was excited about the international participation because it would boost PNG’s profile in the world arena.
Mr Abal also mentioned the successful mission of the deployment of the US military hospital ship USS Mercy last year and was assured by Mr Taylor that the ship would tour again in July/Aug next year.
The new UNDP country representative David McLachlan-Karr also paid a courtesy call last week.
Apart from expressing appreciation for the efforts of the UN and its agencies in PNG, Mr Abal also told Mr McLachlan-Karr that political stability was important for PNG to achieve the national goals and objectives.
Mr McLachlan-Karr said PNG was fortunate to have vast resources to support its development.
He siad it was good to see that PNG was politically stable.