In an interview to the Post Courier, a newspaper here, he said “India doesn’t see itself in competition with any other country in this regard”, after talking of maritime security, terrorism and piracy being major concerns to India and Papua New Guinea. He also said India was ready to cooperate with Pacific Island countries in protecting their Exclusive Economic Zones.

Mr. Mukherjee had a busy day with bilateral talks with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, and later spoke at a banquet hosted by the Governor-General, Sir Michael Ogio. Although building trade relations was high on the agenda, the larger message was that India is eager to deepen its engagement with all Pacific Island countries.

In a speech at a banquet hosted by the Governor-General, Mr. Mukherjee made a pointed reference to Papua New Guinea’s natural resources and said there were many opportunities waiting to be seized as both countries had prioritised sustainable use of ocean and marine resources. He also underscored that the untapped potential of India’s ties with Pacific nations was not limited to Papua New Guiena.