Radio New Zealand
[Source: RNZ News]
Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian governments will continue efforts to enhance bilateral relations, Prime Minister James Marape said on Thursday.
He announced Jakarta’s plans to provide electricity to the town of Vanimo in Sepik Province.
The PNG Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement that Marape “is spearheading a proactive approach to leverage” relations between the two nations “focusing on initiatives such as affordable electricity along the shared border and collaborative road networks”.
It comes after the Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Port Moresby early in July, when Widodo met Marape and the two leaders ratified a border agreement, as well as agreements on customs and trans-national crime, to strengthen economic opportunities.
Indonesia also agreed to sponsor 2000 PNG students to attend university in Indonesia, and had pledged $15 million to upgrade Port Moresby’s hospital.
Indonesian Ambassador to PNG, Andriana Supandy, updated Marape “on the ongoing progress of the electricity supply project from Jayapura to Vanimo”, according to the Prime Minister’s office.
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