Vanuatu & Australia agree to security deal
Australia has agreed to a 10-year deal with Vanuatu that aims to strengthen security and economic ties between the two nations. The A$500 million (£241 million) Nakamal agreement is the result of months of negotiation and according to leaders from both countries, will improve their relationships.
“We are family,” Australia’s deputy prime minister Richard Marles said. “Our future is very much bound together.” The leader of Vanuatu, Jotham Napat, said the deal was “win-win situation” for both his country and Australia.
The deal will be officially signed in Australia and comes as the country aims to expand its influence in the area in response to increased Chinese spending and power. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), it will provide funding to build two large data centres in the Vanuatuan capital, Port Villa, and its largest island, Santo. It will also spend money to help the low-lying islands cope with the impact of climate change and build up its security.
The Prime Minister of Vanuatu said that the agreement will bring “a lot of great benefits between the two countries, whether it be the security agreement, economic transformation, with some specific focus on the mobile labour mobility and financial support.”
The deal comes after Australia signs similar pacts with other Pacific countries, including the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Papua New Guinea.
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