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Defence Deals
The leaders of Australia and Papua New Guinea signed a major bilateral defense treaty Monday that China believes targets it unfairly. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape described the agreement as a mutual defence treaty that will enable unprecedented integration of their defence forces and military personnel. It is Australia's only alliance-level security pact other than the ANZUS Treaty signed with the United States and New Zealand in 1951. It is the first such treaty for Papua New Guinea, Australia's nearest neighbour and former colony. The treaty would take effect after it was ratified by the Parliaments of both countries. Albanese said it was a great honour for Australia to have its nearest neighbour become its newest ally. This treaty contains a mutual defence obligation similar to Australia's ANZUS Treaty commitments, where we declare that in the event of an armed attack on either of our countries, we would both act t
The entry of other Arab countries in the mutual defence deal between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is not ruled out, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said, adding that doors are not closed for such developments. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a "strategic mutual defence" agreement, which declares that any attack on either country will be considered "an aggression against both". The deal was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Pakistani leader's day-long visit to the Gulf Kingdom, according to a joint statement. The deal comes days after an Israeli attack on the Hamas leadership in Qatar, a key US ally in the Gulf region. Responding to a question whether more Arab nations could become part of the deal, Asif said: I cannot prematurely answer this, but I will definitely say the doors are not closed. Asif, during an interview to Geo News on Tuesday, said he had always called for a similar arrangement like NATO since
A state-of-the-art Japanese warship has arrived in Australia as part of a high-stakes campaign to secure a $6.5 billion contract to build the country's next fleet of general-purpose frigates. The JS Yahagi, a Mogami-class stealth frigate from Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, is docked in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory in what appears a symbolic and strategic move aimed at strengthening defense ties with Australia and showcasing Japanese naval technology. Japan's bid, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was short-listed in November for the Royal Australian Navy's SEA 3000 frigate project and is competing against Germany's MEKO A-200 offered by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The Australian Government is expected to select a preferred design later this year, with construction for 11 new vessels slated to begin the following year. Japan would jointly develop and produce the frigates for the Australian navy. Bolstering defense industry As part of its military buildup, Japa