Official to visit country

**Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey meeting United States secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro at the Pentagon in Washington DC last Tuesday. – Picture supplied**

UNITED States secretary of the Navy Commander Carlos Del Toro is expected to visit Papua New Guinea on Friday.
Del Toro made known his visit to Port Moresby and Manus after he met with Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey at the Pentagon in Washington DC last Tuesday during Ling-Stuckey’s annual meetings with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Del Toro, who will be flying in from Guam, will visit Manus first before Port Moresby.
Ling-Stuckey took note of Del Toro’s keen interest for both countries to finalise their Defence Cooperation and 505 agreements; the 505 agreement was signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Soroi Eoe and US Ambassador Erin McKee on July 9.
Del Toro was assured that both requests would be conveyed to Prime Minister James Marape and the relevant cabinet ministers.
Ling-Stuckey also invited Del Toro to visit Emirau Island, Kavieng, New Ireland, where the US army built a large airstrip which still exists today.