cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/54887137
Sāmoa Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt says Pacific ties with Australia have moved beyond friendship, describing the relationship as one built on family, people and shared opportunities.
“We are no longer friends, we are family now,” Schmidt told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during leaders’ talks in Brisbane on Wednesday.
The meeting brought together Albanese with the prime ministers of Sāmoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, as Pacific leaders discussed security, climate change, labour mobility and the role of sports in strengthening regional connections.
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The talks came as Pacific leaders prepare for further regional discussions including the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Palau next month and climate talks ahead of COP later this year.
Albanese also said Pacific leaders would soon release a joint statement on China’s recent missile test in the region, reinforcing the importance of Pacific countries working together on regional peace and security.
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The Government of New Zealand announced … it would engage with both countries “on the possibility of joining” the Ocean of Peace Alliance, with a final decision to be made by Cabinet, followed by the usual process for treaties through Parliament.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon welcomed the alliance, signed by Australian PM Anthony Albanese and his Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka in Suva on Monday … It is Fiji’s first military alliance and Australia’s fourth – following the ANZUS Treaty with New Zealand and the US, and a bilateral treaty signed with Papua New Guinea last year.
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