[ad_1]
supplied
Papua New Guinea foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko with New Zealand Deputy PM Carmel Sepuloni at the Pacific Island Forum retreat in Fiji in February this year. Tkatchenko has stepped down after controversy over his trip to King Charles’ coronation.
The man in charge of ensuring everything goes to plan when 18 Pacific island leaders meet United States President Joe Biden in Papua New Guinea next week, has quit.
Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Pacific-India forum leaders summit in Port Moresby on May 22.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will also attend the meeting in the PNG capital.
But a week out from the historic event, PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko is standing aside amid controversy over the cost of his delegation’s trip to King Charles’ coronation in London on May 6.
READ MORE:
* Pacific media under threat amid US-China contest, experts warn
* PM Chris Hipkins to meet US President Joe Biden and Pacific leaders for summit
* Papua New Guinea to host US President Joe Biden in ‘historic’ Pacific visit
* Pacific criticises AUKUS: ‘Deal keeping America engaged in the region’
Tkatchenko had travelled with his daughter, Savannah Tkatchenko, who posted a TikTok showing her first-class plane journey and shopping spree in Singapore.
She was heavily criticised for the “extravagant” meals in first class airport lounges and “elite” shopping experiences at luxury brands on the taxpayer-funded trip.
1 NEWS
The island’s foreign minister Joseph Wu called on New Zealand to invest more in the Pacific to counter the diplomatic rise of China. (First published May 7, 2023.)
A PNG government spokesperson confirmed 20 people had accompanied the Tkatchenkos and Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae to the coronation.
Local media reported the trip cost taxpayers close to US$825,000 (3 million kina or NZ$1.32m), which the PNG government has denied.
Tkatchenko defended his daughter against the furious backlash, calling the critics “primitive animals” which sparked protests outside Parliament last weekend.
PNG, with a population of close to 9 million people, is one of 11 Commonwealth nations in the Pacific which has King Charles as head of state.
Half of PNG’s working class earn less than NZ$370 a month, according to the country’s statistics office.
Calls were made from PNG’s opposition, rights groups and Papuans on social media for Tkatchenko to step down.
Tkatchenko said in a statement he “stood aside” after consulting with Prime Minister James Marape, as he wanted to ensure the controversy did not interfere with the official visits by both Biden and Modi.
“I also want to ensure the truth of this matter is cleared and the misinformation and lies are corrected,” Tkatchenko said.
Whether his resignation will have an impact on negotiations with US officials over a defence pact is yet to be seen.
Tkatchenko has been key to PNG’s “foreign policy concept” and architect of the developing country’s global priorities, including climate change and focus for the future.
The White House announced on Monday that Biden would sign a security deal – defence and surveillance – when he meets Marape.
Getty Images
US President Joe Biden and PNG Prime Minister James Marape will sign defence and surveillance agreements when the two leaders meet in Port Moresby next week.
Biden is also seeking to deter Pacific island nations, which span 40 million kilometres of ocean, from security ties with China.
A US-PNG pact would give US armed forces “uninhibited access” to PNG’s territorial waters and airspace.
Concerns have been raised about the immunity clauses for US defence personnel operating in PNG and some experts warned the deal would draw PNG into the militarisation of the region as the Aukus security pact.
Beyond responding to China’s growing influence in the region, the NZ$400 billion Aukus partnership – signed by Australia, the United Kingdom and US in March – will provide a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia by the mid-2050s.
The Pacific Islands Forum warned “Aukus will bring war much closer to home and goes against the Blue Pacific narrative on nuclear proliferation and the cost to climate change”.
Forum secretary-general Mark Brown said Aukus could heighten geopolitical tensions and disturb the peace and security of the Pacific region.
With rising concern amid tensions over Taiwan, Washington also criticised Beijing’s security deal with the Solomon Islands in April last year.
The pact allows Solomons’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to call on China at any time for defence and police assistance.
Discussions at the PNG summit will include trade, Covid-19 and climate change.
The White House said the US president’s visit also “renews the strategic importance of the nation where Biden’s uncle died in World War II”.
From PNG, both Biden and Modi will travel on to the Quad leaders meeting in Australia.
[ad_2]