VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo  invited the wife of Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, Rachel Marape, for a tour of the Bogor Botanical Gardens.

The tour was organized to welcome the official visit of PNG Prime Minister James Marape, to Indonesia.

The First Lady also joined her husband President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to receive Marape and his delegates at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Thursday.

Iriana Joko Widodo and Rachel Marape planted sandalwood trees with President Jokowi and Prime Minister Marape.

The two also chatted warmly on the veranda during a face-to-face meeting between Jokowi and Marape.

After that, the First Lady invited Marape’s wife to a tour of the Bogor Botanical Gardens in a golf cart and showed her the diversity of plant species in the garden.

After touring the Bogor Botanical Gardens, which were built in 1817, the two first ladies returned to Bogor Palace. They then accompanied President Jokowi and Prime Minister Marape to a joint press conference.

The state luncheon closed the official welcome series.

On the occasion, First Lady Iriana gifted Rachel Marape a silk shawl as a memento. Meanwhile, Rachel Marape gifted the First Lady a carved ebony bowl and a cane basket.

The wife of the Indonesian Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ella Andriana Supandy, also accompanied the Indonesian First Lady.

A series of state welcome functions were conducted as part of the visit, starting from entering Bogor Presidential Palace with a marching band convoy, an official welcoming ceremony, a group photo session to the signing of the guest book.

James Marape and his wife arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday (March 30, 2022) and were scheduled to return to Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, on Thursday evening.

According to the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea established bilateral relations in 1973, two years before Papua New Guinea achieved its independence from Australia. (Antaranews)