Sunday 20 April 2023
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape says Papua New Guinea is ready to receive both US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Hon. Narendra Modi in May 2023.
PM Marape said last night (Saturday, April 29, 2023) after the White House officially confirmed that President Biden would make a historic visit to the country on Monday, May 22, 2023.
President Biden will have a bilateral meeting with PM Marape as well as have a meeting with 18 Pacific Island leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, who will be in Port Moresby at the same time for the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
“Papua New Guinea is ready to receive both President Biden and Prime Minister Modi. This is a historic first, and at the same time a ‘going forward‘ futuristic meeting of global superpowers, in the biggest country in the Pacific” PM Marape said.
“In the Indo-Pacific conversation, PNG and the Pacific cannot be ignored. With our combined forest and sea areas, we have the world’s greatest carbon sink, and the biggest sea and air space on earth.
“We also face the greatest threat to our existence as climate change affects our lifestyles and our economies.
“I am happy that at our scheduled time of meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi, we have US President Biden coming to pay his respects to the Pacific leaders.
“I have had the privilege of one-on-one meetings with President Biden in New York and Washington, and on both occasions, I invited him to visit PNG at the earliest
“I am very honored that he has fulfilled his promise to me to visit our country,” Prime Minister added.