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Travelling to Papua New Guinea on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to sign a new defence treaty with Australia’s northern neighbour — shortly following confirmation that PNG plans to close its trade offices in Taiwan.
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During the visit, Prime Minister Albanese is scheduled to have an intimate meeting with PNG Prime Minister James Marape and will be the first foreign leader to address the nation’s parliament.
According to the ABC, the final document is still being finalised and has been prompted by the absence of a formalised defence arrangement between the two countries.
“And our traditional partners have always been Australia, New Zealand and the United States — and now looking at Indonesia as well, as we share the biggest border for Papua New Guinea,” PNG Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko said.
“For some reason, we haven’t come together to have [a defence treaty] with Australia and Papua New Guinea, maybe they feel that we’re comfortable enough we don’t need one.”
The Foreign Minister remarked that a changing region has prompted new thinking.
The trip was originally scheduled for December, though was postponed following a positive COVID-19 test by Prime Minister Albanese.
Reports that Australia is looking to sign a defence treaty with PNG comes as Minister Tkatchenko told reporters that the country will look to close its trade office in Taiwan.
The Foreign Minister however remarked that the decision was prompted by lack of economic benefit and poor behaviour by the PNG representatives in Taiwan.
“We have done a full analysis over the last 12 months on the aspects of the office to see if it was working, if it was viable to keep economically,” the minister explained.
“We did a full assessment and have come to a conclusion that the office was no longer needed.”
[Related: Vanuatu recovering from crippling cyber attacks with Australian help]
