Economic investment, not just security deals, will be pivotal in Papua New Guinea’s future development, its Prime Minister James Marape has warned just days after a new defence agreement was inked between Australia and its northerly neighbour. In a speech to the foreign policy think tank the Lowy Institute on Tuesday largely focused on his country’s economy, the Prime Minister Marape outlined that aside from climate change, poverty was greatest issue facing his country, necessitating further foreign investment. “The gap in poverty must be filled – the West cannot be ignorant to this, economies need to survive” Mr Marape said,…
