Prime Minister Hon. James Marape held bilateral talks with Singapore’s Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education, Dr Maliki Osman, this afternoon on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
Reflecting on the strong ties between Papua New Guinea and Singapore, Prime Minister Marape noted that PNG has maintained friendly diplomatic relations with Singapore since the establishment of formal ties on 19 May 1976.
Prime Minister Marape expressed his appreciation for the support provided by the Singapore Government through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, which has significantly benefited many Papua New Guineans by equipping them with quality skills and knowledge.
“In acknowledging your Government through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, our Government is now looking at adopting the Singapore model of working in public service, particularly with our statutory organisations and revenue-generating government entities. Through this, we can send some of our public service workers to come and work in Singapore under a partnership agreement, so that we can adopt your significant way of service delivery mechanisms and top-quality output, as far as your economic management and governance is concerned,” said Prime Minister Marape.
Recognising Singapore as one of the top three wealthiest nations in the world by Gross Domestic Product, Prime Minister Marape highlighted Singapore’s development success. He noted that, unlike PNG, Singapore lacks natural resources or agricultural land but has built a strong bureaucracy and governance system from which PNG can learn.
“We can learn a lot positively from you (Singapore) as a nation, as far as your economic indicators show, which have been achieved over a short period of time, and it is amazing. PNG, like Singapore, is located in a strategic location to bridge the Asia-Pacific region and offers diverse opportunities, including vast natural resources and huge untouched land for agriculture.
“My government is now focusing on agriculture, and we have plans to double the current agricultural exports. PNG is strategically placed to tap the ASEAN food markets, including Singapore. So, I invite Singapore to invest in PNG, given our already established and friendly relations between us,” Prime Minister Marape emphasised.
In discussing trade relations, Prime Minister Marape acknowledged that Singapore is PNG’s fifth-largest trading partner and the second-largest source of PNG’s merchandise imports.
Dr Osman expressed his appreciation to Prime Minister Marape for taking the time to engage in bilateral talks amid the PIF Leaders Meeting. He stated that the Singapore Government looks forward to greater cooperation with the PNG Government.
Prime Minister Marape and Dr Osman also discussed the potential for future exchanges of high-level visits between PNG and Singapore, aiming to further enhance bilateral relations.
