By Claire Mauta
Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko met with the Prime Minister of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas at the margins of the 2024 MSG Budget Foreign Ministers Meeting in Port Vila recently, discussing bilateral relations for the two countries.
Minister Tkatchenko expressed that there are valuable partnerships that both countries can look forward to working together on both at the bilateral and regional levels particularly in the areas of trade and investment, health and education, climate change and disaster preparedness, tourism including technical cooperation in areas of mutual interests.
In terms of development assistance, Minister Tkatchenko reassured Prime Minister Tabimasmas that relevant PNG Government authorities are now working on transmitting the K10 million assistance to Vanuatu for the rehabilitation of the Kumul Highway that was pledged by the previous PNG government.
Prime Minister Tabimasmas expressed appreciation to the PNG Government for the K10 million assistance towards his government and also expressed its government’s strong desire to venture into technical cooperation with PNG in the areas of Air Service Agreement; education scholarship programs for Vanuatu students particularly for nurses, doctors and engineers to be trained in PNG’s tertiary institutions.
Minister Tkatchenko acknowledged the desire to elevate the level of the bilateral engagement and indicated PNG’s intention to elevate its diplomatic representation in Vanuatu to a Consul General status with an office to be established in Port Vila in the near future.
In closing, Minister Tkatchenko verbally extended an invitation from Prime Minister James Marape to Prime Minster Tabimasmas to visit PNG during the visitation of His Holiness Pope Francis in September and added that a formal invite will be sent to all Pacific Island Leaders in due course.
