Pato Confirms Pacific Leaders Attending APEC In November
ALL PACIFIC LEADERS HAVE CONFIRMED THEY WILL BE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA FOR THE NOVEMBER 2018 APEC SUMMIT
All Pacific leaders have confirmed they will be in Papua New Guinea for the November 2018 APEC Summit. PNG Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Rimbink Pato, who attended the Pacific Islands forum on behalf of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, said they told him that they were all looking forward to the APEC summit week in November.
Mr Pato said the invitation from the PNG government to the leaders was a further step in strengthening the bonds among the island nations who constitute the “Blue Pacific” continents.
“At the forum in Nauru, we increased our determination to act collectively on a wide range of issues of great importance to the region, especially on climate change and we can follow that up in November,” Mr Pato said.
“The endorsement of the security declaration, Biketawa Plus and a long list of other decisions indicate the hard work and dedication of leaders, ministers and officials to the people of the Pacific.
“The leaders also came to a very constructive approach to discussions on the Papuan provinces of Indonesia, one that will bring positive results for all in terms of economic and social development of those living in the border region and one that would avoid the bad outcomes that would arise from policies of confrontation and conflict.”
The minister met the Interior Secretary for the United States of America, Ryan Zinke and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Matt Matthews.
“We had a very constructive breakfast meeting which was attended by Pacific leaders,” Mr Pato said.
“Another very useful and practical meeting focused on ways to improve the health of the peoples of the Pacific, including tackling the increasing problem of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks and cancer.”
He said he held bilateral meetings with leaders and ministers from a wide range of countries in addition to the membership of the Pacific Islands forum.
They included Australia, Canada, Cuba, Israel, Japan, New Caledonia, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Mr Pato also met with Secretary General of the Commonwealth, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and the European Union. “Outcomes of these meetings can be seen in summary on my Facebook page, and more details will become evident in due course as we see the introduction of development partnerships on topics of all kinds, ranging from health to energy, education to the environment,” he said.
“It’s an exciting time for Papua New Guinea.”