Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea leaves after controversy regarding coronation travel expenses

Justin Tkatchenko resigned as PNG Foreign Minister on Friday due to a controversy over the cost and size of the country's delegation to the coronation of King Charles III in London. He remains in parliament to ensure the truth of the matter is cleared and misinformation and lies are corrected. US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are due on May 22 for a historic visit. Tkachenko had been closely involved in US negotiations, but Marape announced he would take over supervision of preparations for the arrival of Biden, Modi and more than a dozen Pacific island leaders. He commended Tkachenko for putting the national interest first and apologized to his family and daughter Savannah for the traumatic experience over the last couple of days. 10 of the Governor General's staff and two foreign ministry officials traveled with Tkatchenko to represent PNG in his place.