It was a big gamble, both logistically and physically, to commemorate the Battle of Kokoda with a trek and to give a robust display of unity between two countries, but James Marape's words of welcome were the stuff of dreams for the Australian government.
Albanese's 'brotherly' Kokoda trek with Marape showed uncommon warmth at a time of frosty geopolitics elsewhere in the PacificIt was an inauspicious start to Anthony Albanese 's trip to Papua New Guinea. He arrived in Port Moresby and immediately prepared to head to the National Parliament, where PNG's Prime Minister James Marape was to officially welcome him to the country ahead of a formal bilateral meeting and a dinner function.
Mr Marape outlined his rationale for undertaking the walk. Aside from his Melanesian cultural compulsion to protect a guest on his land , he stated that Australia "is a country we can not take for granted" as "they have always stood with us". His words are the stuff of dreams for the Australian government. In diplomacy, language is carefully calibrated to the millimetre. There is a clear gradation in the words chosen to describe relationships between countries and often deliberate ambiguity. So, to say no-one is closer to PNG than Australia, that Australia can't be taken for granted, and the two countries are brother and sister by kinship, is notable for how definitive it is.
Mr Marape has described his country as being a buffer for Australia due to its geographical place at the intersection of Asia and the Pacific. He sees Australia and PNG as natural allies, pointing out the shared language, culture and values of the two countries. By contrast, he views Asia as having different languages, cultures and values that make them neighbours, rather than family.In February 1942, then-Labor prime minister John Curtin saw Singapore fall to invading Japanese soldiers.
Mr Albanese told the ABC he saw deep symbolism in his trek. "It sends a message to both countries, but also to the region, that we're in step. We are literally walking side-by-side into the future," he declared. Xuan bought a $6,000 apartment in an old Chinese city so she could 'lie flat' and escape the rat race
Politics Kokoda Trek Anthony Albanese James Marape
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