Australia and New Zealand honor their war dead with dawn services on Anzac Day

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On Anzac Day, hundreds of thousands of individuals assembled in Australia and New Zealand to honor their fallen soldiers. They participated in early morning ceremonies and paraded through the streets to pay their respects.

Christopher Luxon, who is the current Prime Minister of New Zealand, was present at a morning service that takes place at dawn in the city of Auckland. Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on the other hand, was present at a memorial from World War II in the far-off country of Papua New Guinea, which is the closest neighbor of Australia. Both leaders made sure to pay their respects during these solemn occasions.

On April 25th, 1915, soldiers from Australia and New Zealand Army Corps began their first battle of World War I on the shores of Gallipoli, located in the northwest region of Turkey. Unfortunately, this campaign did not turn out in their favor and was not a success.

Albanese and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape embarked on a two-day journey to the memorial located in the town of Isurava. This location was the scene of a significant fight between the Japanese army and troops from both Australia and the United States, which took place in August of 1942.

According to Nine Network, Albanese told the gathering that people who signed up for the Second World War were raised in Australia which had been affected by the pain of the first.

Albanese said that Anzac Day does not require us to celebrate the achievements of war. Rather, Anzac Day urges us to resist the passage of time and to remember their names.

Marape urged that "peace should be the dominant theme under all conditions."

During his trip, Albanese emphasized the long-standing security connections between the two nations, which were strengthened in December with the signing of a comprehensive security deal by himself and Marape.

The agreement was postponed for half a year due to a security deal made between the United States and Papua New Guinea, which caused riots in the South Pacific country. The citizens were worried that the independence of their nation was being threatened.

Back in December, Marape stated that his administration's security pacts with the United States and Australia did not imply that he was favoring those partners over China in their global power struggle.

Over the weekend, Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China, paid a visit to Papua New Guinea to explore possibilities of fostering better ties with Marape.

During his speech in New Zealand, Luxon expressed gratitude towards the country's military personnel for their efforts in maintaining freedom and democracy.

Luxon, as reported by the Stuff news website, stated that the day is highly significant to the people of New Zealand. It provides an opportunity for everyone to pause and remember the brave Kiwi service personnel who have served the nation and its values both in the past and present.

A service intended to remember and honor an event in the late morning in the city of Wellington, New Zealand was called off because of the presence of powerful winds.

According to The New Zealand Herald, the government disclosed that they chose to call off the scheduled function at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to prioritize the well-being and security of veterans, visitors, and attendees. Instead, a more intimate gathering took place indoors.

The police in Australia stated on Thursday that there was no risk of extremists attacking the Anzac Day services and marches in Sydney. This statement came after the arrest of seven teenagers who were allegedly following a violent extremist ideology in police raids across southwest Sydney on Wednesday.

In the past, radical individuals have planned to carry out massive attacks on Anzac Days, however, the police have taken action before any of these schemes could be carried out.

A huge crowd of people from Sydney attended the events held on Thursday.

Afterward, the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Richard Marles, and his counterpart from New Zealand, Winston Peters, attended a morning ceremony at Anzac Cove in Turkey. Many people had stayed overnight in tents for the occasion.

"We come with respect from far across the Pacific Ocean. As we step onto your land, our footprints are united forever. The brave soldiers from both our communities lay to rest on your historic soil," Peters addressed the assembly with humility.

"We are gathered here today to honor the soil beneath our feet which is the last resting place for a great number of our youthful soldiers - men who hailed from Turkey, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand," Peters expressed.

According to Anadolu, Roger Kerr, who is from New Zealand, expressed that there is a connection between Turkey and his country. He noted that despite their past conflicts, both sides had demonstrated a level of reverence towards one another. Mr. Kerr believes that this mutual respect has persisted even after a century has passed.

This report has been contributed to by Andrew Wilks, a writer from the Associated Press based in Istanbul.