“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will make an historic stop in Papua New Guinea while traveling from the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan to the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney, Australia later this month,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

While in Papua New Guinea, Biden will meet with Prime Minister Marape of Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island Forum leaders to follow up on the first-ever U.S.–Pacific Island Summit in Washington, DC last fall, according to the statement.

Key topics on the agenda include strengthening cooperation in addressing regional challenges such as climate change, maritime resource protection, and promoting resilient and inclusive economic growth.

The statement further emphasized the profound historical and interpersonal connections between the United States and the Pacific Islands, underlining the significance of this visit as the first by a sitting U.S. President to a Pacific Island country.

This visit serves to reinforce the vital partnership between the United States and the Pacific region. (ILKHA)