Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso, NCD Governor Powes Parkop and Minister for Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko were on hand to welcome Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on arrival Monday
Both Police Commissioner David Manning and PNG Defence Force acting Commander Philip Polewara was also on hand to welcome Albanese.
Albanese will begin his 17 kilometre walk today and is expected to spend two nights on the trail. Albanese will be the first Australian PM to walk the trail. His predecessors have only visited the memorial.
Paul Keating kissed the ground at the Kokoda Memorial, John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull visited the memorial site, Kevin Rudd walked the track as Opposition leader in 2006 as with Scott Morrison walking the trail in 2009 before he became PM.
Last night, Marape hosted an ANZAC Day Commemoration Dinner at the State Function room at Parliament House with both Prime Minister’s holding a one on one meeting at the State Hall inside parliament. The walk by the Australian Prime Mnister is to remember those who had fallen during the Kokoda campaign.
