PNG, Montenegro establish diplomatic relations

Papua New Guinea and Montenegro have officially established diplomatic ties following the signing of a Joint Statement by Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko and his Montenegrin counterpart Ranko Krivokapic.

Minister Tkatchenko welcomed the formalization, saying it was an important step towards expanding engagement beyond multilateral forums and building practical bilateral cooperation.

“Papua New Guinea welcomes the opportunity to establish diplomatic relations with Montenegro," Tkatchenko said.

"Our two countries have engaged constructively through the United Nations and other multilateral platforms, and the formalization of our relationship provides a new basis for pursuing areas of mutual interest on a bilateral level.”

He said bilateral trade and economic activity between the two nations remain limited.

However, he outlined key growth sectors for future collaboration, including tourism, renewable energy, agriculture, food processing, small-to-medium enterprise [SME] development, digital innovation, and investment promotion.

Tkatchenko emphasized that future economic cooperation must be grounded in realistic and commercially viable opportunities, supported by technical engagement and private sector participation.

“Rather than setting overly ambitious targets without the necessary commercial foundations, we should allow our officials and business communities to identify a small number of sectors where there is genuine potential for investment, trade and mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.

Both foreign ministers expressed optimism about the new partnership, with plans to further strengthen ties through the future appointment of Honorary Consuls in both countries.

Tkatchenko expressed confidence that despite the geographical distance, PNG and Montenegro can build a meaningful relationship based on shared interests.