PNG donation supports Tonga government

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Tonga’s Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano received a cheque of NZ$1.5 million in budget support from the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O’Neill on September 5, in the Marshall Islands.

The Prime Minister’s office in Nuku’alofa stated that the PNG Prime Minister announced a substantial aid program to Pacific Islands, during the 44th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.

Tonga was one of the first three Forum Island Countries to receive the development aid from PNG, along with Tuvalu and Marshall Islands.

PNG also pledged US$1 million to hosting the Pacific Islands Forum meeting this week and towards drought relief assistance for Marshall Islands.

Assistance

These pledges were made in November last year during a special Pacific-ACP Leaders Meeting in Port Moresby where Lord Tu’ivakano held a bilateral meeting with the PNG Prime Minister.

The statement from Tonga's Prime Minister’s office said that Tonga and PNG had also shared mutual interests in exploring prospects for minerals developments.

Tonga was also interested in creating job opportunities for Tongans.

“While the PNG Government pledged to assist the Government of Tonga in its initiatives to promote governance and democratization reforms by providing substantial budgetary support, Tonga has agreed to facilitate development of temporary labour mobility to supply PNG emerging skills gap, creating job opportunities in overseas employment for Tonga’s population,” the PMO stated.

Lord Tu‘ivakano thanked the Government of PNG for the budget support.

Mantangi