Pacific Islands Defence Ministers Meet in Tonga to Boost ‘Interoperability’ (usnews.com)
By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Reuters) -South Pacific defence ministers will meet in Tonga on Tuesday, with Australia seeking a closer military relationship with the three island nations that have defence forces to counter China’s security push in the region.
Australia’s defence minister Richard Marles was due to arrive in Tonga on Monday ahead of the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting this week, held annually to discuss regional security challenges.
Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga – the only Pacific Island nations with militaries – are members, as are New Zealand, France, Australia and Chile.
Last week Marles said Australia was negotiating a defence treaty with Papua New Guinea that would see the two nation’s navies and armies work alongside each other more often, and Canberra also wanted to “evolve our relationships” with other Pacific islands.
READ FULL ARTICLE : Pacific Islands Defence Ministers Meet in Tonga to Boost ‘Interoperability’ (usnews.com)
