PNG Prime Minister, James Marape says there has to be a practical measurement of progress being made between the United States and Pacific Island nations, including PNG, since the first US-PIC Forum Dialogue in 2022.

Marape encouraged the US to consolidate its place as a true and significant partner in the Pacific. By means of increasing its presence in the area of people-to-people and business-to-business exchanges between the two countries. As well as the greater South Pacific (Blue Pacific Continent).

He raised these comments in his opening Statement at the US-PIC Dialogue, chaired by US President, Joe Biden, at the Whitehouse in Washington.

“We are here today to measure how much we have progressed since our inaugural summit in September last year. Papua New Guinea comes to this Summit in 2023 from a much-improved relationship with the United States but that is mostly from the Security perspective, which we must step up on all other fronts,” said Marape.

He said in 2022, PNG’s trade volume with the USA did not exceed $300million.

“As PNG is closer and has more access to the Asian market, we know that the depth of any nation-to-nation relationship is usually anchored and balanced when there is more commerce and trade relationships,” Marape said.