VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) are ready to carry out a trade and investment mission in Papua New Guinea, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir, has said.

"BUMN is ready to carry out a trade and investment mission in Papua New Guinea," Thohir posted on his official Instagram account @erickthohir from Jakarta on Thursday.

The effort needs to be done so that cross-border trade and the economic pulse of people in border areas can recover, the minister added.

"It is important for Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, which are directly adjacent to each other, to strengthen cooperation," he said.

The key to post-pandemic recovery is togetherness and mutual cooperation, Thohir remarked.

"Not only between us in society, but also between countries. This is also the direction of President Joko Widodo in the meeting with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape," he said.

Earlier, President Widodo had directed four ministers along with a delegation from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and businessmen to send a trade and investment mission to Papua New Guinea.

The Head of State also stressed the importance of establishing a bilateral investment agreement between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The President assigned Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Thohir; Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono; Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif; and Minister of Trade, Muhammad Lutfi, the task of facilitating and providing security to investors from the two countries.

In addition, President Widodo also emphasized the importance of connectivity between the two countries via land, sea, and air.

Indonesian construction companies are expected to explore opportunities related to the construction of connectivity facilities and infrastructure in Papua New Guinea. (Antaranews)