Papua New Guinea hopes to have Australia security deal signed by end of year

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks to the media after arriving in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Monday. PNG hopes to sign a security deal with Australia by the end of the year. Photograph: Andrew Kutan/AFP/Getty Images

Papua New Guinea hopes to sign a security deal with Australia, as well as possibly New Zealand and the US, by the end of the year, the country’s foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko has said.

Tkatchenko said the security treaty with Australia has been in the works since 2019, but that the recent security deal struck between China and Solomon Islands would require Australia and Papua New Guinea to strengthen the treaty.