ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo and the Prime Minister (PM) of Papua New Guinea (PNG) James Marape, signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) at the Indonesian Presidential Palace, in Bogor on Monday 15 July 2024.
The four MoUs are:
- MoU on Cross Border Movement for Commercial Buses and Coaches. Through this MoU, a public transport crossing mechanism will be regulated to carry cross-border passengers from Jayapura to Vanimo.
- MoU on Cross Border Transport of Goods by Motor Vehicles. The MoU is intended to regulate the movement of goods that can be carried by public transport passengers crossing the border from Jayapura to Vanimo.
- MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Health. This is an update of the 2018 MoU which expires in 2022. The MoU regulates general welfare and public health issues in border areas.
- MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Education. It is an umbrella for various collaborations in the field of education in the future, including training and capacity building for teaching staff as well as providing scholarships.
Regarding bilateral cooperation, the two leaders emphasized that the entry into force of the defense cooperation agreement is very important to strengthen the security of the two countries. Indonesia welcomes the implementation of the second Joint Business Forum.
On that occasion, President Joko Widodo again emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on the Preferential Trade Agreement to increase trade between the two countries. Apart from that, the renewal of the health cooperation agreement and the signing of education cooperation are also expected to strengthen collaboration between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Regarding the construction of an electricity network by PLN at the Skouw Border, Wutung, President Joko Widodo said that this collaboration had officially started and electricity was already on in Wutung.
Indonesia is also committed to supporting development in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries through various grant programs, such as renovations in Port Moresby and construction of public facilities in West Sepik. (AT Network)
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