COMMENCEMENT OF PNG-AUSTRALIA BILATERAL DEFENCE TREATY NEGOTIATIONS: JOINT STATEMENT BY LEAD NEGOTIATORS - Wewak, Papua New Guinea, 11 June 2025.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Mr. Elias Wohengu and Australian Defence Secretary Mr. Greg Moriarty visited Cape Wom War Memorial, East Sepik Province.
Lead negotiators Mr. Elias Wohengu and Mr. Greg Moriarty accompanied by H.E. Mr. Ewen McDonald, Australian High Commissioner to PNG, visited Kreer Heights - the Late Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare's resting place to pay their respects. Grand Chief Somare's children warmly received them - Arthur Somare and Dulciana Somare.
PNG and Australian lead negotiators, Mr Elias Wohengu, Secretary of the PNG Department of Foreign Affairs and Mr Greg Moriarty, Secretary of the Australian Department of Defence and delegations convened this week for formal negotiations on a bilateral defence treaty.
Following the announcement by Prime Ministers on 12 December 2024 of the entry into force of the Bilateral Security Agreement, Defence Ministers then announced on 20 February 2025 their intention for a Bilateral Defence Treaty.
The lead negotiators on the new defence treaty recognised the significance of commencing negotiations in Wewak, the home of PNG’s first Prime Minister, the Great Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare GCL, GCMG, CH, CF, SSI, KSG, PC; and the location of the last time PNG and Australian forces fought together in World War Two, noting the mnemonic backronym for ‘WEWAK’ means “we ended war at Kiarivu”.
The lead negotiators also acknowledged that 2025 marks 50 years since PNG’s independence in 1975. The bond between the Australian Defence Force and the PNG Defence Force has grown from strength to strength over the last 50 years, as our forces continue to enhance their interoperability. The vision of the PNG and Australian Governments is that the defence treaty will expand and modernize the longstanding defence relationship between our two countries by maintaining and developing their individual and collective capacity and capability.
They acknowledged the seamless work of their two delegations and look forward to finalizing the details of the treaty.
