UAE funding visit: Minister

Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Rimbink Pato says all expenses for him to attend the Expo 2020 international participants meeting in Dubai last week were met by host United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He said this yesterday after attending the meeting as a guest of the UAE, at which he also pushed for a   renewable energy pilot project with UAE, and also met Papua New Guinean pilots and their spouses who fly for different airlines there.
Pato said UAE Foreign Minister Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the energy project idea given the country’s shareholding in Oil Search.
He also talked about renewable energy schemes including solar, wind, thermal, biomass and waves.
UAE minister of state for international cooperation Reem Al Hashimy discussed her country’s policy to strengthen ties with PNG and the Pacific.
Sheik Abdullah, son of the founder of the UAE, and Al Hashimy expressed interest in visiting PNG and the Pacific.
Pato said he was impressed with Expo 2020’s themes of connectivity and sustainability, which were consistent with PNG’s foreign policy objectives.
“PNG’s efforts, with the assistance of other nations, to protect our forests and fisheries and her response to climate changes, are in tune with the sustainability theme,” he said.
“A tour of the site in Dubai gave me confidence that a cost-free expo involvement for PNG, with a complete and generous sponsorship by UAE, will provide excellent exposure for PNG to the 25 million visitors for the six months of the expo.
“Likely outcomes will be an enhanced image for PNG leading to a boost in investment, exports and tourism, which will in turn bring better employment, education and healthcare opportunities to PNG people.
“Expo 2020 will be the next opportunity after Apec to put PNG on the global map, and it will take place at the gateway to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.”