Indonesia-Papua New Guinea Sign Cross-Border Passenger Transport Cooperation

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government through the Directorate General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation together with the Papua New Guinea Transportation Department established cooperation in cross-border passenger transportation services.

This collaboration was marked by the signing of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Cross-State Public Passenger Transport. The signing of the SOP was carried out by the Director of Road Transportation, Muiz Thohir and the Secretary of the Papua New Guinea Transportation Department, Mathew Wowoni, in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 26.

Secretary of the Directorate General of Land Transportation, Ahmad Yani, said the step was taken in order to strengthen connectivity in the border area of two countries.

"This cross-border transportation has a strategic meaning because it is able to shorten the distance, reduce logistics costs, and open access to trade services for people in border areas," he said in an official statement, Wednesday, August 27.

Yani said that with a safe, orderly, and orderly cross-border transportation system, we can improve the quality of life of the community while strengthening regional stability.

Furthermore, Yani said that Cross-Border Passenger Transport (ALBN) does not only play a role in smoothing community mobility, but is also an important instrument in strengthening bilateral relations, encouraging economic growth, and strengthening regional connectivity, especially in border areas.

"The signing of this SOP is an important basis for the development of transportation cooperation in other sectors in the future, including logistics, tourism, and cross-border trade," said Yani.

Yani also hopes that this collaboration will not only stop at drafting documents, but will really have a positive, sustainable impact, and be felt directly by people who carry out activities in both countries.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Papua New Guinea Department of Transportation, Mathew Wowoni, welcomed the cooperation of this country's cross-border bus transportation service.

"This cooperation has been discussed for a long time and we are looking forward to the running of this service, especially for the survival of the people around the border area. We hope that this collaboration will be beneficial for both countries," said Mathew.

For information, this meeting is a follow-up to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cross-Border Movement of Commercial Buses and Coaches which was signed on July 15, 2024 by the Minister of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia and the Minister of Transportation and Civil Aviation of Papua New Guinea.

Meanwhile, since then, both parties have held various discussions, both internally and bilaterally, in order to draft the SOP concept which is a reference for operational cooperation.