Whereas Papua New Guinea became independent on September 16, 1975; Whereas Papua New Guinea is a valued security partner of the United States, participating in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, which sends members of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force to professional military education courses in the United States; Whereas the United States has partnered with Papua New Guinea and Australia to modernize Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island to assist Papua New Guinea in defending its sovereignty and maritime rights; Whereas the United States Government supports cooperative activities with Papua New Guinea, including sustainable fisheries management, HIV/AIDS prevention, and care, and those authorized by the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act; Whereas section 1252 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 ( Public Law 116–92 ) expands the number of countries that receive assistance under the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative, including Papua New Guinea; Whereas Papua New Guinea hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Summit in November 2018; and Whereas Palm Desert, California, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, are sister cities, a broad-based, long-term partnership to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation centered on people-to-people exchanges: Now, therefore, be it