Papua New Guinea cabinet signs landmark defence treaty with Australia

A significant advance toward the landmark security agreement has been made by Papua New Guinea (PNG) by ratifying a mutual defense treaty with Australia.

James Marape, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, made the announcement in a statement on Thursday that his government cabinet had approved the deal and praised Australia’s “elevated” ties.

This reflects our two countries’ shared future, history, and trust, Marape said in a statement.

The Pukpuk Treaty was supposed to be signed in September to commemorate Papua New Guinea’s 50th year of independence, but Marape’s cabinet failed to find a majority.

Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, stated on social media that he was looking forward to signing the agreement and forming a “formal alliance” with PNG.

Although the Pukpuk Treaty’s text has not been made public, Marape’s statement contains some information, including a mutual defence clause, and lists measures for PNG to modernize its military arsenal and build a 3, 000-member national reserve force.

According to Marape’s office, PNG plans to increase its defense force to its current 7, 000 troops as a result of the agreement.

The World Bank notes that PNG has more than 11 million people and is one of the most diverse nations in the world. However, it also struggles with repeated violence from its more than 10 000 ethnic clans.

According to Jennifer Parker, an expert on Australian defense, Australia seized control of PNG as a colonial power in 1902 and held power until 1975, but relations have remained close.

Parker claimed that the treaty would codify the two nations’ already-existing defense partnerships and that it would make Australia its first treaty ally in 70 years.

Under the 1951 ANZUS treaty, Australia only has two official allies, New Zealand and the United States, while PNG currently does not.

There is a consensus that the treaty will require a general commitment to support and defend each other, Parker told Al Jazeera. “We won’t know until we see the specifics of it,” Parker said.

The deal, according to Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, will also help “Australia to deepen its investment in [Papua New Guinea’s] defense sector to meet emerging challenges.”

According to Parker, the treaty comes at a time when Australia is concerned about China’s expanding presence in the Pacific and worries about the possibility of building a military presence there.

Despite Canberra’s concerns, the agreement will also contain rules that govern “third-party” defense agreements between Port Moresby and other nations, according to Marape’s office.

China, one of PNG’s most significant trading partners and a source of foreign direct investment, appears to be making a covert reference to that phrase.