Australia, Papua New Guinea

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held security talks with his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape in the capital of the largest Pacific Island nation on Wednesday after plans to sign a landmark mutual defence treaty stalled, which marked the second Pacific setback for Australia this month. The two leaders instead signed a defence communique. Marape told reporters in Port Moresby that it was in the two countries’ mutual interest to work side by side on defence. “I made a conscious choice that Australia remains our security partner of choice,” Marape said, adding that Papua New Guinea could not defend its land and ocean space alone, and the deal was in the national interest. The text of the communique, released by Albanese’s office, said Papua New Guinea and Australia had agreed on the text of a mutual defence treaty, which will be signed following cabinet processes in both countries. A meeting of the Papua New Guinea government’s cabinet of ministers on
Sunday did not have enough members to reach a quorum required to endorse the treaty, and there was a “process to run”, Marape said. It is the second setback to defence ties for Australia in the Pacific Islands this month, after Albanese travelled to Vanuatu last week but was unable to sign an A$500 million ($326.5 million) security partnership because the Vanuatu government’s coalition partner wanted further scrutiny. Australia has sought to use the security deals to block Chinese influence in the region, after China struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands. Marape told reporters China had no hand in stalling the treaty. “They do respect PNG government’s choice of security partners,” he said. Arriving in Papua New Guinea on Monday for the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations, Albanese had said the mutual defence treaty with Australia’s closest Pacific neighbour would lift security ties to a level equivalent of its alliance with the United States.