PRIME Minister James Marape and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, this morning signed on behalf of Papua New Guinea and Australia an agreed text of a Mutual Defence Treaty, which will be signed following Cabinet processes in both countries.

The signing of the Papua New Guinea-Australia Mutual Defence Treaty – the Pukpuk Treaty – will elevate the defence relationship between Papua New Guinea and Australia to an Alliance.

The core principles of the Pukpuk Treaty will include:

• a mutual defence Alliance which recognises that an armed attack on Australia or Papua New Guinea would be a danger to the peace and security of both countries;
• expansion and modernisation of our defence relationship, including by setting out our shared ambition to establish a recruitment pathway for Papua New Guinea citizens into the Australian Defence Force;
• strengthening and expanding defence cooperation through enhanced capability, interoperability and integration;
• ensuring any activities, agreements or arrangements with third parties would not compromise the ability of either of the Parties to implement the Treaty; and
• reaffirming both countries’ absolute respect for our neighbours’ sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Prime Minister Marape told reporters at the press conference this morning that Papua New Guinea proposed this Alliance in its 50th year of independence.
And Australia was honoured to agree.

Our new Alliance will reflect our true commitment to each other and to a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.

Australia and Papua New Guinea will work together to build our unique partnership and to progress our region for the betterment of our nations and our peoples.

Our Alliance will be grounded in 50 years of cooperation as equal partners. It will build on our unique security relationship, the foundation of which is the kinship between generations of our defence personnel. It will recognise the sacrifices our peoples have made for each other and the cause of peace and our nations’ enduring commitment to the principles of democracy and sovereignty.

The Treaty will mark the beginning of a historic new chapter between our two countries. It will reflect and deepen the trust we share as the closest of neighbours, partners and friends.