Today, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea on the margins of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco, California. The Vice President underscored the U.S. commitment to the Pacific Islands region, and the Vice President praised Papua New Guinea’s role as a regional leader and member of APEC. The Vice President thanked Prime Minister Marape for hosting the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue in May and attending the September U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Washington.
The Vice President and Prime Minister Marape discussed avenues to advance bilateral security cooperation ties, building on the new Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by the two countries in May. The Vice President and Prime Minister Marape also discussed strengthening economic cooperation, fostering an environment to enable private sector investment, and increasing cooperation to combat climate change.