Prime Minister (PM) James Marape who arrived back in country following his trip to Palau to see the inauguration of the President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr, said the whole trip was a great success. Prime Minster Marape at the press conference at the APEC Terminal in Port Moresby city after getting off the plane, said the trip was a success because of positive outcomes on talks about fisheries. Accompanied by the Fisheries Minister, Jelta Wong, the PM said the aim was to establish a pacific block in exporting fisheries product and tap into the rewards of the 30% export of tuna from the pacific to the world market. The PNG team had a strategic intent going to Palau, using the trip as part of plans to maximize tuna exports. “It was part of our bigger game plan to mobilize our pacific fisheries resources into a power block in as far as pacific resources are concerned,” said the PM. “That is getting momentum as we speak and I want to confirm that the Micronesian nations as well as PNG, Solomon Islands, are deep in that conversation.” Sometime next month, Minister Wong and all the pacific island ministers will be meeting in Honiara (Solomon Islands) to progress this agenda to mobilize all fisheries resources so that they can be processed here in PNG, strategically to develop marine downstream processing of fisheries in PNG. “Minister Maru (Richard Maru), Minister Wong are working in that space. Pacific Maritime Zone will be the first place of development as well as potentially Rabaul, Kieta, Lae and other parts of our coastal areas.” He further reiterated that the trip to Palau was important because like other Micronesian countries, Palau has a vast ocean territory where fisheries resources can be extracted. “Population wise, they may be small, but they are a big block in the total fisheries and tuna supply to the world.” “We want to get all of them together, so we have a united approach in as far as fisheries resources are concerned for us to supply into the market, nearby and far away.