Justin Wayne Tkatchenko, (born 2 June 1972) is an Australian-born Papua New Guinean politician. He currently served as the
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
in Papua New Guinea since 18 January 2024. Tkatchenko has previously served in the role from 23 June 2022 to 12 May 2023.
Biography
Tkatchenko was born in Australia to Ukrainian immigrants. Tkatchenko was originally from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia, and followed a brief vocational training in
Horticulture
Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...
after his secondary education. He was then employed as curator of the Botanical Gardens of the National Capital District of Papua New Guinea. In 1997, he was appointed high official in the administration of the District. In 1999, he bought a small gardening business, which he grew over the following years. He also became famous as the presenter of a television gardening show, ''The Happy Gardiner''.
In 1997, he was awarded the
British Empire Medal
The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Monarchy of the United Ki ...
for services to “the orchid industry and tropical gardening”.
He was naturalised as a Papua New Guinean citizen in 2006 and ran unsuccessfully as a candidate in the
Papua New Guinean legislative elections of 2007. He was defeated by outgoing MP Dame
Carol Kidu
Dame Carol Anne Kidu ( Millwater ; born 10 October 1948), also known as Carol, Lady Kidu, is an Australian-born Papua New Guinean politician.
Kidu was the only female Member of Parliament in the 2002–2007 and 2007–2012 National Parliame ...
in the constituency of
Port Moresby-South.
After Dame Carol's retirement from politics, Tkatchenko won the constituency in the
2012 elections
* 2012 United Nations Security Council election Africa Egypt
* 2012 Egyptian presidential election
Mali
* 2012 Malian presidential election
* 2012 Malian parliamentary election
Senegal
* 2012 Senegalese presidential election
* 2012 Senegalese p ...
and entered the national parliament as a member of the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Form ...
of
Powes Parkop
Powes Parkop (born 18 February 1962) is a Papua New Guinean lawyer and politician, from Manus Province. A former lecturer in Law at the University of Papua New Guinea, he is the current governor of Port Moresby and the National Capital District ...
. He then became the Minister of Sports in
Peter O'Neill
Peter Charles Paire O'Neill (born 13 February 1965) is a Papua New Guinean politician who served as the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 2011 to 2019. He has been a Member of Parliament for Ialibu-Pangia since 2002. He was a fo ...
's cabinet, and became a member of the latter's
People's National Congress party. In April 2016, he also had ministerial responsibility for hosting the
2018 APEC summit in Papua New Guinea. Re-elected MP in the
2017 elections
Africa
*2017 Somali presidential election 8 February 2017
*2017 Gambian parliamentary election 6 April 2017
*2017 Algerian legislative election 4 May 2017
*2017 Lesotho general election 3 June 2017
*2017 Republic of the Congo parliamentary electi ...
, he retained responsibility for the APEC summit, and he was shifted in cabinet to become Minister of Lands and Territorial Planning.
In the
2018 Queen's Birthday Honours
The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...
List,
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
made him
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
.
The O'Neill government lost the confidence of Parliament in May 2019. Tkatchenko left the National People's Congress to become a member of the Social Democratic Party again, and provided support to the new Prime Minister
James Marape
James Marape (born 24 April 1971) is a Papua New Guinean politician who has served as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the el ...
, who appointed him Minister of Housing and Urban Development.
Following the
2022 legislative elections, he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
A few days later, he publicly mentioned Papua New Guinea's desire to sign a military and security cooperation treaty with Australia, allegedly in response to the similar treaty signed by the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
and China in March.
In December 2022, he reiterated Papua New Guinea's recognition of Indonesian sovereignty over
western New Guinea
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region ...
, which is disputed by some indigenous Papuans from that region. He requested that Papuans from Indonesia who have taken refuge in Papua New Guinea not proclaim the independence of the unrecognized
Republic of West Papua
The Republic of West Papua (), alternatively known as the Federal Republic of West Papua (, RFPB) is a proto state consisting of the Western New Guinea region, which is currently part of Indonesia on the continent of Oceania. The region has been ...
, so as not to disturb the good relations between Port Moresby and Jakarta.
In May 2023, he was part of the Papua New Guinean delegation to the
coronation ceremony of
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
,
King of Papua New Guinea, the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms, along with his eldest daughter Savannah, who attended in place of his wife. Governor-General
Sir Bob Dadae led the delegation, while Tkatchenko represented Prime Minister Marape. The Prime Minister remained in Papua New Guinea to prepare for the visit of Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
and US President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
. His daughter posted a TikTok video during the trip that caused much controversy because it flaunted cocktails and meals at first-class airport lounges. In an interview with the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
on 10 May, he described critics of his daughter's video as "primitive animals" and "useless individuals". This remark caused Opposition Leader
Joseph Lelang
Joseph Dennis Lelang is a Papua New Guinea politician from the People's National Congress and the Member of Parliament for Kandrian-Gloucester District. Since 12 August 2022, he has been Leader of the Opposition until 16 February 2024.
He has ...
to call for Tkatchenko to be dismissed from his post as Foreign Minister and have him referred to the Ombudsman Commission for misconduct in office. On Thursday, Tkatchenko apologised for his comments, saying they were "taken completely the wrong way" and were solely directed at those who made "disgusting and vile comments" about his daughter. Prime Minister
James Marape
James Marape (born 24 April 1971) is a Papua New Guinean politician who has served as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the el ...
said he was offended by the comments but asked the nation to forgive Tkatchenko, saying "Our national character is put to the test ... and we must show the world that we can forgive those who offend us." The next day, he resigned his position as foreign minister, with the role being taken over by Marape.
Tkatchenko was reappointed foreign minister on 18 January 2024 during a
cabinet reshuffle
A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the head of state changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parliam ...
to replace Prime Minister
James Marape
James Marape (born 24 April 1971) is a Papua New Guinean politician who has served as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007, representing the el ...
, who had been his own foreign minister.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tkatchenko, Justin
1972 births
Living people
Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea
Ministers for foreign affairs of Papua New Guinea
Social Democratic Party (Papua New Guinea) politicians
Papua New Guinean Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Papua New Guinean recipients of the British Empire Medal
Australian recipients of the British Empire Medal
Australian emigrants to Papua New Guinea
Australian people of Ukrainian descent