Source : Perth Now news
Anthony Albanese is set to sign a new security agreement during a three-day tour of the Pacific.
The prime minister will arrive on Sunday in the Fijian capital of Suva, where he is expected to sign the Vuvale Union agreement.
He will then travel to the Solomon Islands to progress negotiations on a new treaty with Honiara.
In recent weeks, the Albanese government has inked a number of security and economic deals with Pacific Island nations as the diplomatic fight for influence in the region continues.
A $500 million security deal, closing the door to China on the establishment of foreign military bases in Vanuatu, is the latest among them.
Mr Albanese and Jotham Napat signed the Nakamal Agreement in Canberra on Monday after years of stalled negotiations.
Half a billion dollars will be provided to the Pacific nation “to reinforce Pacific collective security and sovereignty”.
“Vanuatu shall not permit its territory to be used for any foreign military base or infrastructure,” the new deal read.
The agreement also affirmed Australia’s role as Vanuatu’s largest economic security and development partner, Mr Albanese said.
Australia is expected to build on the momentum with a fresh Pacific deal, progressing negotiations on a treaty with Honiara and inking a deal with Suva.
Mr Albanese, together with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, will meet with Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, with the pair expected to strengthen the Vuvale agreement to bolster economic ties and security co-operation between the nations.
A meeting with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale is next on the agenda and builds on discussions held in Canberra in June.
Mr Wale – also the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum – has flagged he would review his nation’s controversial policing deal with China, signed in 2022.
He has also called for a Pacific-wide security deal, which the government has said it is open to pursuing.
Mr Albanese said Australia remained a partner the Pacific could rely on.
“By working together, we can foster a safe and resilient region that enables all of our economies to grow and prosper,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Senator Wong said the government would act on Pacific priorities in the Pacific way.
“A stronger, safer and sovereign Pacific is good for Australia and for our region,” she said.
