"Now that Malaysia, South Korea, and other countries are present, Indonesian companies, especially state-owned enterprises (SOEs), have not been present here (Papua New Guinea)," Rudana noted here on Thursday.
He made the observation during a bilateral visit to PNG with some delegates from the House's Bilateral Cooperation Group (GKSB).
The Indonesian delegation was received by the Prime Minister of PNG, James Marape, and the acting speaker of the PNG Parliament, Koni Iguan.
Rudana said that his request for President Widodo to discuss investment with PNG was after he spoke to PM Marape, who expressed the hope for increased cooperation with Indonesia in the economic, sociocultural, education, and investment sectors.
"They hope that there will be cooperation with us in various sectors by increasing investment, people-to-people cooperation, tourism, direct flights, and others," he said.
According to him, Indonesia must show that state-owned companies are present in Papua New Guinea.
He said PNG needs Indonesia's support to improve many of its sectors, such as electricity.
"Presenting our energy company in PNG, where the need for electricity is very huge, to participate in working on many projects here," he added.
Rudana said that discussions with Papua New Guinea should not only be about territorial border issues.
"We are neighbors, that (Indonesia) directly borders Papua New Guinea. We should not only talk about border issues, it should be further and benefit both countries," he said.
President Widodo is scheduled to visit PNG on July 6–7 for a comprehensive visit to reflect Indonesia's commitment to supporting, assisting, and fostering relations with PNG in various fields.
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Translator: Melalusa K, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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