JAYAPURA – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko visited Wutung Elementary School in the RI-Papua New Guinea border area. The Papua New Guinea-owned elementary school will eventually be renovated with the help of an Indonesian Government grant through Indonesia Aid.

"Today a new history was made. For the first time, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries visited a joint project, closely related to the interests of the community, namely basic education, especially in border areas. The enthusiasm I see today strengthens my hopes about the promising future of the two countries," Foreign Minister Retno said on Thursday (9/5/2024).

Foreign Minister Retno said that Indonesia was honored to be able to help renovate Wutung Elementary School. Education infrastructure is very important in developing human resources as the cornerstone of the future of society. The school renovation project is just one example of Indonesia's commitment to supporting Papua New Guinea's development.

"In addition to education, we are also partnering on other important projects such as waste management and the construction of fire centers such as the one now under construction in Vanimo. Indonesia wants to show that the two countries are not only various borders but also prosperity, especially for people on the border," said the Foreign Minister.

The foreign minister added that Indonesia had erected around 88 electricity poles and cables along the border to Wutung. This project is an important foundation to provide electricity in the Wutung area and its surroundings. Electricity supply is essential not only to support education, but also to meet the energy needs of households in border regions that currently use generators.

At the end of her remarks, Foreign Minister Retno expressed her optimism for the future of Indonesia-Papua New Guinea relations. The students of the school will not only benefit from the concrete cooperation between the two countries, but will also become ambassadors of friendship between the two countries.

"Let's continue to build bonds of friendship and cooperation that will further unite our two countries," the Foreign Minister said.

The two Foreign Ministers also previously visited the Skouw Cross Border Post (PLBN) to see firsthand the development of economic and the lives of people living around the border of the two countries. Wutung Primary School is located in Wutung Village, West Sephik Province, and is directly adjacent to Indonesia. The school is located about 2 km from PLBN Skouw.

PLBN Skouw was inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, on May 9, 2017 and is the border connecting gate between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. PLBN is located about 52 km from the city of Jayapura and has supporting buildings, such as markets, and serves as an economic and trade center for border communities.

The development of border areas continues to be a concern for the governments of both countries. In addition to various Indonesian Government grant assistance projects, currently the construction of electricity network infrastructure in the Wutung area has been carried out by PT. Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) as a manifestation of Indonesia's electricity export plan to Papua New Guinea. ***