Tarutia: more business dialogue needed between PNG and Indonesia

President of the PNG Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ian Tarutia, says Papua New Guinea and Indonesia need to have regular business dialogues to strengthen the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding signed by both countries.

Mr Tarutia made these remarks during the Second Indonesia PNG Business Forum held at the weekend in Jakarta.

He said whilst they remain committed and uphold ongoing business arrangements and opportunities shared by the two countries, there is also a need to have consistent summits.

“The MOU between our two organizations symbolizes a commitment to enhance trade and investment activities, foster collaborative partnerships, and support initiatives that benefit both our business communities,” Tarutia said.

“We believe that regular meetings even by online means, such as use of zoom, to discuss the progress of our objectives would be highly beneficial. It would also provide an opportunity to evaluate our current strategies, share insights, and develop actionable plans to achieve the goals set forth in the MOU.”

The former Nasfund chief executive officer commended both governments for the continued commitment to fostering and strengthening the bilateral relationship.

He said it was crucial to establish best means of communication to commence regular dialogue.

“An early focus of our discussions could be to identify key issues that might enhance our trade relationship, such as working towards more seamless border crossings and tracking the work programs in ABAC and ASEANBAC, particularly those aspects most relevant to our two economies.

“As stated earlier we can meet online in between face-to-face engagements like today to keep the conversation going. “

Mr Tarutia also proposed to utilize the embassies in Port Moresby and Jakarta as an effective mode to pursue Business to Business and Business to Government opportunities.