Marsudi and Pato discussed cross-border cooperation, according to a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs received by Antara here on Tuesday.
Both foreign ministers also discussed various matters concerning the management of the Indonesia-PNG border areas, especially regarding economic potential that can be managed for the welfare of people in the border areas.
In addition, the two foreign ministers discussed cooperation between Indonesian and PNG state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as well as cooperation in the fields of social culture and capacity building.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Marsudi expressed support for her counterpart from PNG for its chairmanship in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
Indonesia supports PNG`s efforts to host APEC this year through capacity building, protocol management, and security management assistance.
Indonesia and PNG have established comprehensive partnerships. Both countries are active in various international forums, especially regional forums for Asia and Pacific countries, such as the APEC, MSG, and the Pacific Island Forum.
Regarding economic cooperation between the two countries, Foreign Minister Marsudi welcomed the efforts to increase the value of Indonesia-PNG bilateral trade, from US$179.2 million in 2016 to $208.89 million in 2017.
The bilateral meeting of the Indonesian and PNG foreign ministers concluded with a series of bilateral meetings on the first day of the 7th Bali Process Ministerial Conference.
Editing by Libertina WA, Yoseph Hariyadi
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
