Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea Justin Tkatchenko said on Thursday that the US President Joe Biden is planning a historic visit to the Pacific country on May 22, on his way to Australia.
“The visit will be short, but symbolic,” Tkatchenko said in a statement to News Asia TV”, noting that Biden will stop at Port Moresby on his way to attend the Quadripartite Security Dialogue (Quad) with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan, which will be held in Sydney, Australia next month.
The US President will arrive at PNG on May 22 in a three hours visit, and expected to discuss issues of economy, security, and climate change, the minister added.
The visit, the first of a US President to Papua New Guinea in over 100 years, since Theodore Roosevelt’s visit in 1901, comes amid US fear of more Chinese Military activities in the region.
Earlier this month, Tkatchenko said that the PNG and the US were finalizing a Defense Cooperation Agreement after talks between officials in Hawaii and PNG earlier this year.
“We have an understanding to ensure that our defense capabilities are enhanced through training, infrastructure, asset improvement,” Tkatchenko said.
Source: Kuwait News Agency