YOUR EXCELLENCIES THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE ASEAN MEMBER-STATES,

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

ON BEHALF OF THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA DELEGATION, LET ME BEGIN BY EXPRESSING OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR THE EXCELLENT ARRANGEMENTS MADE FOR THIS IMPORTANT MEETING, AND FOR THE WARM WELCOME WITH WHICH WE HAVE ALL BEEN GREETED BY THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF THAILAND.

INTRODUCTION

A PARADOXICAL FEATURE OF ASEAN’S ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE THIRD-OF-A-CENTURY SINCE THE ORGANISATION WAS FORMED IS THE WAY IN WHICH ASEAN HAS HELPED TO MAINTAIN STABILITY IN AN ERA – AND A REGION – OF RAPID AND WIDE-RANGING CHANGE. 

THE MANNER IN WHICH ASEAN HAS MANAGED TO DO SO IS WIDELY APPRECIATED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE ASIA – PACIFIC – AND, IN FACT, AROUND THE WORLD.

EVEN AS CO-OPERATION AMONG ASEAN MEMBERS HAS BROADENED AND DEEPENED, ASEAN HAS CONTINUED TO BE OUTWARD – LOOKING – GROWING IN COVERAGE OF THE SOUTH-EAST ASIAN REGION WHILE STRENGTHENING LINKS WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

THUS, EVEN AS CO-OPERATION IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA HAS INTENSIFIED, ASEAN HAS ALSO REACHED OUT – TO A CLOSE NEIGHBOUR, LIKE PAPUA NEW GUINEA, WHICH VALUES OUR SPECIAL OBSERVER STATUS; AND, THROUGH DIALOGUE, TO OTHER IMPORTANT INTERNAT10NAL ACTORS.

LAST YEAR’S ASEAN+3 SUMMIT IN MANILA WITH CHINA, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA – IS ONLY THE. LATEST EXAMPLE OF WAY IN WHICH ASEAN COUNTRIES TO DEVELOP AS A FOCAL POINT OF INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION AND GROWING CO-OPERATION, EMBRACING COUNTRIES AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC, IN OTHER REGIONS AND OPERATING GLOBALLY.

THE INVITATION FOR THE UNTIED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION IN EAST TIMOR TO ATTEND THIS OPENING CEREMONY IS A FURTHER – WELCOME – SIGN OF ASEAN’S RESILIENT, OUTWARD-LOOKING APPROACH.

CHALLENGES OF CHANGE

THE JOINT COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE 32^ND ASEAN MINISTERIAL MEETING, THE CHAIRMAN’S PRESS STATEMENT AT THE CLOSE OF THE ASEAN 3RD INFORMAL SUMMIT – AND, INDEED, ALMOST EVERY RECENT ASEAN STATEMENT EMPHASISE THE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES POSED BY THE CHANGES OCCURRING IN OUR REGION AND ON A GLOBAL BASIS.

THOSE CHANGES AFFECT ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE, INCLUDING THE, NATURAL ENVIRONMENT – ON WHICH WE DEPEND FOR EXISTENCE.  

IN THE AGE OF ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL GLOBALISATION, THE WORLD IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY INTERDEPENDENT – POSITIVELY, WHEN MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TRADE. INVESTMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS GROW; AND NEGATIVELY, AS WE HAVE SEEN WHEN FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES OR FOREST FIRES IN ONE REGION HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON PEOPLE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA, THEREFORE, BELIEVES VERY STRONGLY IN THOSE ELEMENTS OF THE ASEAN VISION 2020 WHICH LOOK BEYOND OTHER ASPECTS OF ECONOMIC. POLITICAL AND SECURITY CO-OPERATION TO THE CREATION OF A COMMUNITY OF CARING SOCIETIES.

WE WOULD ENCOURAGE OUR ASEAN PARTNERS TO COMBINE CARING WITH THEIR LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT TO AN OUTWARD-LOOKING APPROACH – FOR THE SAKE OF THE WIDER COMMUNITY WHICH INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION IS INTENDED TO SERVE AND DEVELOP.

REGIONAL ISSUES

MANY OF THE, SAME KINDS OF CHANGES CHALLENGING NATIONS IN – SOUTH-EAST ASIA ARE ALSO OCCURRING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

THE PEACE PROCESS IN BOUGAINVILLE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY AT THE STAGE WHERE SENSITIVE POLITICAL ISSUES ARE BEING ADDRESSED, CONTINUES TO GAIN STRENGTH ON THE GROUND – TO THE ULTIMATE BENEFIT, NOT ONLY OF PEOPLE ON BOUGAINVILLE ISLAND, BUT OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA AS A WHOLE.

VIOLENT CONFLICT BETWEEN PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF SOLOMON ISLANDS CONTINUES TO CAUSE DEATHS, INJURIES, AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, ESPECIALLY IN TIM AREA AROUND THE NATIONAL CAPITAL, HONIARA.

THE DEMANDS FOR GREATER RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS WHICH UNDERLAY PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR ME ILLEGAL CAPTURE AND DETENTION OF THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTERS IN FIJI – FOLLOWED BY SUSPENSION OF THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION – CONTINUE TO COMPLICATE THE RETURN OF NORMALCY THERE.

CONCERNED TO SEE AN EARLY RETURN OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN BOTH FIJI AND SOLOMON ISLANDS, PACIFIC ISLAND STATES HAVE, THEREFORE, LOOKED OUTWARD TO THE FRAMEWORK PROVIDED BY THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE AFRICAN. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC GROUP OF COUNTRIES (‘THE- ACP’) AND THE EUROPEAN UNION (‘THE EU’) FOR A MEANS OF DEALING WITH BOTH SITUATIONS WHICH IS SENSITIVE TO REGIONAL VALUES AND CONCERNS.

OUR INTENTION IS TO SEND A MINISTERIAL MISSION, MADE UP OF REPRESENTATIVES OF PACIFIC ISLAND ACP MEMBER STATES, TO EXAMINE THE SITUATIONS IN FIJI AND SOLOMON ISLANDS – AND, IF REQUESTED, TO PROVIDE SUCH GOOD OFFICES AS MIGHT BE MUTUALLY AGREED.

OUR OVER-ALL AIM IS TO WORK FOR ANOUTCOME WHICH IS MORE LIKELY TO ASSIST IN REALISING THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE THAN SUCH BLUNT INSTRUMENTS AS ECONOMIC SANCTIONS OR DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION.

CONCLUSION

PAPUA NEW GUINEA FACES MANY OF THE SAME CHALLENGES AS ASEAN MEMBER-STATES AS MEMBERS OF THE ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION FORUM (APEC) AND OTHER REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ORGANISATIONS, WE OFTEN DO SO IN CLOSE CO-OPERATION BOTH WITH INDIVIDUAL ASEAN MEMBERS AND WITH ASEAN AS A WHOLE.

BY MEETING AND EXCHANGING IDEAS – AND CO-OPERATING WHERE INTERESTS AND VIEWS COINCIDE ASEAN AND ITS PARTNERS ARE WELL-PLACED TO HELP BRING ABOUT MUTUALLY SATISFACTORY CHANGES.

I AM, THEREFORE, PLEASED, TO ANNOUNCE THAT, CONSISTENT WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH ASEAN, PAPUA NEW GUINEA HAS NOW RATIFIED THE SECOND PROTOCOL AMENDING THE TREATY OF AMITY AND CO-OPERATION IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA.

THE GOVERNMENT IN WHICH I HAVE THE HONOUR TO SERVE AS MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS WAS FORMED JUST OVER TWELVE MONTHS AGO WITH FIVE MAIN OBJECTIVES TO  RESTORE INTEGRITY TO THE INSTITUTIONS OF STATE; TO STABILISE OUR NATIONAL CURRENCY, THE KINA, AND NATIONAL BUDGET; TO REMOVE OBSTACLES TO INVESTMENT AND GROWTH; AND TO PROMOTE THE BOUGAINVILLE PEACE PROCESS.

LIKE ASEAN WE SEEK TO PROMOTE STABILITY WHILE FACING THE CHALLENGES OF CHANGE.

WE HAVE, I BELIEVE, MADE STEADY PROGRESS ON ALL FRONTS.

THE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA’S FOREIGN POLICY, INCLUDING 0VERSEAS REPRESENTATION, AND MIGRATI0N PROCEDURES, WHICH I RECENTLY ANNOUNCED WILL HELP KEEP THE PROCESS MOVING AHEAD.

MY DELEGATION, THEREFORE, LOOKS FORWARD B0TH TO CONTRIBUTING TO – AND BENEFITING FROM – THE EXCHANGES IN WHICH WE SHALL BE PARTICIPATING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

THANK YOU.