PM to watch Origin with Pacific leaders as PNG war pact kicks in
In a display of sports diplomacy, Anthony Albanese and key Pacific leaders will be among tens of thousands of people gathered at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium for this week’s State of Origin final.
Wednesday’s decision will cap a day of talks focused on security and trade between the Prime Minister and his Papua New Guinean and Tongan counterparts James Marape and Lord Fakafanua.
This will also coincide with the official start date of Australia’s war agreement with PNG.
“This important series of meetings in Brisbane comes at a time when we are working closely with our Pacific family on issues important to our region,” Mr Albanese said.
“I look forward to welcoming the Pacific Leaders to Brisbane on Wednesday and attending the State of Origin event with them.
“We are bringing our Pacific family closer together through one of Australia’s favorite sporting codes.”
The meeting will follow the diplomatic blitz in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
In Fiji, Mr Albanese is expected to close the Vuvale Union following a visit by Foreign Secretary Penny Wong and Pacific Affairs Minister Pat Conroy in May.
At the time, ministers promised the Vuvale Union would be “a transformative agreement that will strengthen strategic, economic and institutional cooperation between Fiji and Australia”.
Solomon’s visit, meanwhile, comes after a diplomatic dry spell with the country warming to Australia in recent months after years of courting by China.
During his visit to Canberra in early June, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale floated the idea of a Pacific-wide security agreement.
The Albanian government signed the suspended Nakamal Agreement with Vanuatu last week, dealing a fresh blow to China’s hopes of establishing a military foothold in the Pacific.
Describing it as “a balanced agreement that will protect our collective and individual security and sovereignty”, Mr Albanese said the agreement “advances the consensus that security is the shared responsibility of the Pacific family, members of the Pacific Island Forum”.
“This encapsulates Vanuatu’s sovereign decision not to allow its territory to be used for any foreign military bases or infrastructure, and to ensure that Vanuatu’s critical infrastructure remains free from militarisation,” he said.
The deal was signed 10 months after Chinese pressure halted the original move, with members of the Vanuatu government concerned that terms restricting foreign investment in Vanuatu’s critical infrastructure would halt the flow of funds from China.
Under the revised version, Vanuatu can receive cash from other countries but must “consult with Australia on proposed third-party involvement” in its critical infrastructure.
