Pacific nations Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are delaying the finalisation of their security pacts with Australia due to fears the deal would encroach on their sovereignty, the Pacific nations have said.
During a visit by Defence Minister Richard Marles on June 6, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said the bilateral security agreement signed with Australia in December 2022 was still being examined and will be put forward to the parliament by the end of this year.
“It is at the National Security Council at the moment, just going through the text, and it’ll go towards the Council of Ministers. And it will be presented for ratification before the end of this year in Parliament,” he said….