PNG’s new Tokyo chancery ready

FOREIGN Affairs and Trade Secretary ambassador Michael Maue received the keys to the newly constructed Papua New Guinea Embassy chancery in Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday.
The chancery building is the second in the history of Papua New Guinea’s diplomatic services overseas to have been built and owned by the Government; the first being the PNG High Commission building in Canberra.
After receiving the keys, ambassador Maue said it had been an enriching and rewarding experience for him and his officers who had worked tirelessly on the project from its conception to its completion, overcoming challenges presented by the language barriers and understanding the local laws and bureaucratic practices related to such projects.
The embassy will relocate to the new chancery on Feb 2.
However, a formal opening and naming of the building by Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare is scheduled for March 31.
Construction of the four-storey building was launched with a formal ground-breaking ceremony by Sir Michael last May 19.
At the handover ceremony, ambassador Maue also signed an undertaking with Fujita Corporation to pay by Feb 10, the outstanding amount relating to the variations of the original contract.
The embassy is awaiting the transfer of the final K5 million of the project funds approved by the Government to settle the payment.