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Australia and Fiji have made a deal to increase defence cooperation, with both sides saying it will make it easier to assist each other in times of crisis.
Key points:
- The agreement makes it easier for the defence forces of each country to assist the other with security challenges and natural disaster recovery
- Fiji's defence minister says it "marks a new height of security cooperation"
- Australia is also pursuing deeper security ties with PNG as foreign policy focus shifts to the Pacific
The status of forces agreement was signed by Australia's Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Fiji's Minister for Defence Inia Seruiratu on Thursday and in a statement they said it "marks an important milestone in the defence relationship".
Under the agreement, it will be easier for each country's defence forces to operate within the other.
"The agreement covers practical issues including immigration and customs, arrangements for visiting forces to wear uniforms while in the other country, and criminal and civil jurisdiction over visiting forces while in the other country," the ministers said.
The deal comes as Australia and the US in particular attempt to respond to the rise of China's power and influence in the Pacific.
Without mentioning China, the ministers said the two countries needed to be able to meet any "security challenges".
"We share an interest in a peaceful, secure and resilient Pacific and need to work together to effectively respond to common security challenges — both traditional and non-traditional," the ministers said.
Mr Marles said Australia and Fiji know they can rely on each other at times of need.
He highlighted the assistance each country had given the other as they responded to natural disasters, such as bushfires and floods in Australia and the three-week operation Australia forces undertook to help Fiji recover after Tropical Cyclone Yasa, which hit Fiji at the end of 2020.
"The status of forces agreement will make it easier to deploy to each other's territories at times of need," Mr Marles said.
Mr Seruiratu said the partnership showed the strong bonds felt between Fiji and Australia.
"The signing of this agreement marks a new height of security cooperation between our two nations," he said.
"Our security forces train and deploy together in our homes and across the region. This agreement reflects the increased cooperation between our forces to address traditional and non-traditional security threats including climate change, humanitarian crises and disasters.
"Fiji and Australia's security cooperation forms the bedrock of our … partnership and helps maintain regional stability, resilience, and peace."
Australia deepening Pacific ties
The Lowy Institute's Alexandre Dayant told the ABC the security deal Solomon Islands struck with China earlier this year had accelerated Australia and Fiji's arrangement.
"It pushed the speed of negotiation, but I don't think it was the main reason why this happened," he said.
"This was happening before China decided to find security agreements with everyone."
With Australia's foreign policy now focused on the Pacific, it wants to ensure "all bases are covered", Mr Dayant said.
"Being the partner of choice in terms of development of systems, security agreements and more," he said.
Mr Dayant said the agreement had been in the works for the past few years.
"It's not something that's surprising, especially because there's a kind of security agreement between Fiji and Australia," he said.
"But you could argue that you're going to see more of this, in the Pacific between Australia and Fiji, between Australia and Papua New Guinea."
Earlier in October, Mr Marles said he wants to significantly expand defence cooperation across the Pacific.
During a two-day trip to Papua New Guinea, which has deep defence ties with Australia already, Mr Marles told reporters had a "very ambitious" agenda on defence cooperation.
He wanted ties to go further and spoke of formally elevate existing cooperation with a "treaty level" security agreement as quickly as possible.
"The defence relationship is one of the strengths of the bilateral relationship, but this is really playing to that strength," he told journalists after meeting PNG Prime Minister James Marape.
Mr Marles is expected to speak further about the deal with Fiji on Friday.