PM: Promote PNG abroad

By ELIZABETH MIAE

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has challenged heads of diplomatic missions serving abroad to promote the country wherever they are.

He told them at a meeting in Port Moresby yesterday that they should promote PNG to the world that it was a safe place to invest in and do business.

“I want to harness your valuable resource and that of your staff to promote PNG and in doing so help us to overcome some of the negative, inaccurate and dishonest publicity our nation receives beyond our shores,” he said.

“Some of that publicity might not make it into the media in the countries you serve in but modern communication means it is often accessible online.”

O’Neill urged the diplomats to be proactive in promoting a positive image of PNG and its future.

He said the Government was committed to further improving the country’s investment environment and promoting tourism.

“We want to create the right environment for our exporters, our agricultural producers, our marine products sector and our mining and petroleum sectors,” he said.

“We must face up to the reality that the regional and world trading environments are becoming more competitive – that is not going to slow down.”

He said increasing the number of free-trade agreements between major countries in the region presented a challenge for Papua New Guinea exporters.

He told the conference that the government was improving vital infrastructure that exporters and businesses were demanding.