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The nations have formalised a commitment to strengthen the bilateral security partnership.
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Australia and Vanuatu have signed a bilateral security agreement, aimed at fostering “peace, prosperity, resilience and safety” in the region.
The agreement includes a commitment to meet shared challenges outlined in the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security.
Specifically, the deal involves:
- ramping up bilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief collaborations;
- policing, law enforcement and justice;
- defence;
- border security and human security;
- environment and resource security;
- biosecurity;
- cyber security;
- maritime safety and security;
- aviation safety and security; and
- strengthened information and assessment exchange.
The implementation of the publicly available agreement is expected to be guided by a joint dialogue.
This comes as Australia hands over the newly redeveloped Mala Base Wharf and follows the gifting of police boat RVS Mataweli.
“The Australia-Vanuatu Bilateral Security Agreement is a practical expression of the family-first approach to peace and security in our region,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said.
“It reflects Australia and Vanuatu’s ongoing commitment to working together as members of the Pacific family to address shared security challenges.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong reflected on the decades of practical cooperation between the nations.
“This bilateral security agreement will formalise our partnership across the full suite of our shared security interests and make a valuable contribution to the security of the Pacific family,” she said.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC MP added: “Australia and Vanuatu, over many years, have worked together as members of the Pacific law enforcement community to combat security challenges to keep the Blue Pacific safe.
“The bilateral security agreement will take these relationships across the law and justice sector to a new level.”
This is the latest of a number of security agreement formalised this year with partners from across the Indo-Pacific.
In October, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, signed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation (JDSC), which updates a 2007 commitment to enhance bilateral defence and security ties.
Underpinning the JDSC are shared ambitions to foster a “free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient”.
As part of the new agreement, the nations have agreed to consult each other on contingencies with the potential to “affect their sovereignty and regional security interests”, and the subsequent response.
[Related: Australia, Japan sign security cooperation agreement]
