Papua New Guinea to sign military defense treaty with Australia
2023.01.12 04:23
Papua New Guinea to sign military defense treaty with Australia
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – After meeting on Thursday in Port Moresby, the leaders of Australia and Papua New Guinea agreed to wrap up negotiations on a comprehensive security agreement by April, with the goal of signing the treaty by June.
Both parties have promised to finish negotiating the proposed Bilateral Security Treaty by April 30. It will cover everything from climate change and cyber security to troop training and joint operations.
Hours after becoming the first foreign leader to address the parliament of Papua New Guinea, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the economic and security interests of the neighbors in the Pacific were “indivisible.”
He said at a news conference, “Our economic cooperation and our cooperation in security is in both of our interests,” and he expressed optimism that a deal could be signed by June.
“Our goals are inseparable. Without a more secure Australia, you can’t have a more secure Papua New Guinea, and vice versa.”
In October, Defence Minister Richard Marles stated that Australia wants to reach a pact that would increase the frequency with which personnel from each nation’s navy, air force, and army collaborate with one another.
After being alarmed by China’s signing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in April, the United States and its allies, including Australia, are attempting to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the strategically important region.
James Marape, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, stated that the proposed agreement would enhance Papua New Guinea’s relationship with Australia, whom he referred to as a “forever friend,” without jeopardizing the country’s bilateral relationships with other nations.
Marape stated, “So these security arrangements will be encapsulated in our shared interests without compromising the peculiarity of our own bilateral relationships with others.”
Australia is still the nation it once ruled as a colonial power’s largest aid donor. Australia has worked hard to improve relations with its northern neighbor because of the growing influence and aid from China. Since Albanese won an election in May, the two leaders have met multiple times and agreed to simplify visa procedures for the thousands of workers who move between the two countries, with Albanese announcing a new working holiday visa program for June.
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