President Hopes Indonesian Products Enter PNG Market

Port Moresby, PNG (Antara Bali) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo believes that products from the country can enter and dominate the Papua New Guinea (PNG) market.

"If Indonesian products enter PNG, it will be easy for business players to enter the country," the president said here on Tuesday.

According to the head of state, with the upcoming implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Indonesia should be ready to keep up with other countries.

"The boundaries of all member states of the ASEAN will open following the implementation of the AEC. Therefore, we all have to be ready," the president remarked.

Furthermore, he expressed his pride in knowing that Indonesian business players could dominate the PNG modern market, where 50 percent of the products are Indonesian.

Jokowi also believes that Indonesian products have high competitiveness and should be further improved to enter the neighboring country.

"We should not be mere spectators in the market," he said.

The Indonesian president was in PNG on May 11 and 12 for a two-day working visit.

During his visit to PNG, the president signed cooperation agreements on the prevention of cross-border crimes, including those related to drugs and terrorism, and on capacity building of human resources to explore the oil and energy sectors.

In the field of economy, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea have agreed to increase cooperation in various areas, encourage trade beyond border market regions, boost the strengthening of infrastructure and investment cooperation, and push for private sector participation in the fields of energy, telecommunications and fisheries.

Jokowi also took time to hold a dialogue with Indonesians who reside in Papua New Guinea.

There are as many as 2,500 Indonesians in Papua New Guinea, working as skilled employees in a number of fields.

Of the 2,500 Indonesians, 1,000 live in the border areas, while 1,500 live in the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby. (WDY)