TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and her counterpart from Papua New Guinea Justin Tkatchenko have ratified two bilateral agreements in a meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. One of the agreements address the border issue that has yet to be established until today.

Minister Retno Marsudi stated in a written statement that the agreement oversees visa-free policies for diplomatic and official work passports and the basic agreement overseeing regional borders.

"This is a new beginning for Papua New Guinea and Indonesia," said Justin Tkatchenko.

According to Justin, the agreement, which took eight years to finalize, intends to be beneficial for both sides of the border. In terms of defense, Minister Retno said Papua New Guinea equally supports the acceleration of the ratification and said that a Mandatory Consular Notification Agreement is being formulated as legal protection for Indonesian citizens (WNI).

This meeting also discussed trade and development, which Minister Retno said to have opened the possibility of the two countries cooperating in terms of simplifying customs and excise procedures, facilitating stronger logistical networks, and facilitating stronger logistical networking.

The Foreign Affairs Minister asserted that Indonesia is committed to supporting development in Pacific nations, which include Papua New Guinea.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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