Day: September 15, 2025

Australia and Papua New Guinea to Sign Defense Pact Amid Regional Tensions

Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) will sign a new defense treaty this week, integrating their armed forces in a significant move to bolster bilateral security cooperation as regional governments contend with China’s expanding influence, reports 24brussels.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that he and his Papua New Guinean counterpart, James Marape, will formalize the pact on Wednesday, shortly after commemorating PNG’s 50th independence anniversary from Australia. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is expected to attend the signing ceremony in Port Moresby.

Albanese described the agreement as “a very significant upgrade in our defense relationship,” emphasizing its provision for mutual defense and enhanced interoperability between their respective military forces. “It provides for mutual defense, which means that we will provide support for each other, provide for an integration of our interoperability of our assets and our respective defense forces,” he stated during an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The treaty will enable citizens of both nations to serve in each other’s militaries, with Australia offering citizenship as an incentive for Papua New Guineans who enlist. Prior to this, Australia’s military recruitment had primarily included partners in the Five Eyes intelligence network: the United States, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.

PNG, with a population of nearly 12 million, ranks as the most populous nation in the Pacific after Australia, which has 27 million. Its geographical and political standing has made it a focal point in the escalating strategic competition within the region. Since 2019, three Pacific island states have switched their recognition from Taiwan to Beijing, and China has enhanced security ties through police training initiatives in several Pacific nations, including Fiji, Kiribati, and Samoa.

The new treaty builds upon an earlier security agreement between Australia and PNG signed in 2023, which faced a six-month delay following PNG’s separate security pact with the United States, inciting public protests over perceived threats to national sovereignty.

Analysts are paying close attention to the language used in the new treaty. Oliver Nobetau, project director of the Australia–Papua New Guinea Network at the Lowy Institute, noted that framing Australia as the “security partner of choice” for PNG would constitute a significant diplomatic achievement for Canberra. However, he pointed out, Pacific states—including PNG—are adamant about safeguarding their sovereignty, necessitating careful wording that does not preclude relationships with other partners.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles indicated that the new treaty will replace an agreement from 1977, calling it “a transformational agreement between ourselves and PNG.” He also mentioned that Australia is looking to deepen defense cooperation with other regional players, notably Fiji and Tonga.

Albanese aimed to finalize a similar security and economic treaty with Vanuatu last week, but discussions have been stalled amid apprehensions within Vanuatu’s government regarding reliance on Chinese infrastructure financing.

Romanian Member of the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan warned on September 12 that Russia intends to transform Moldova into a satellite state similar to Belarus. He stressed that Moscow has used Belarus as a platform for attacks against Europe since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and now aims to replicate this model with Moldova. According to Mureșan, the closer Moldova moves toward the European Union, the more aggressively Russia acts to obstruct its European course. He pointed to recent espionage accusations against Belarus from Romania and the Czech Republic as part of the same pattern of Russian proxy activity, noting that Russia wants to use Moldova to attack Europe.

Election interference and disinformation campaigns

Commenting on Moldova’s ongoing parliamentary election campaign ahead of the September 28 vote, Mureșan highlighted evidence of direct voter bribery from Moscow, illicit financing of pro-Russian politicians, and large-scale disinformation campaigns designed to weaken public trust in Moldova’s pro-European path. He urged EU institutions to recognize these operations as deliberate Kremlin strategies to destabilize Moldova and undermine its democratic process.

President Sandu’s call for unity and EU membership

At the Summit of Active Moldovans in the Diaspora in Potsdam on September 12–13, President Maia Sandu emphasized that Moldovan citizens everywhere play a decisive role in shaping the country’s future. She underlined that the choices made in this election will determine whether Moldova can build a strong, united, and respected state that joins the European Union. Unlike previous campaigns, Sandu and her pro-Western government now openly define Russia as the greatest threat to Moldova’s security and present EU integration as the country’s main safeguard against external interference.

Civil society and state response to Russian influence

Moldovan think tanks such as WatchDog.md continue to debunk Russian narratives aimed at discrediting the government, while security services expose networks linked to Russian influence groups, including the NGO “Eurasia,” which uses clergy, youth, and educators to spread anti-European messages. Authorities report that these networks finance anti-government rallies with cash and cryptocurrency. Officials in Chișinău do not exclude the possibility of provocations after the vote and are preparing responses to counter potential unrest.

Moldova’s role in regional security

Over the past four years, Moldova has positioned itself as a reliable partner of Ukraine and Europe, repeatedly underscoring that its stability depends on Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression. Analysts note that Moldova’s successful integration into the EU would significantly complicate Moscow’s efforts to use the country as a staging ground for destabilizing Eastern Europe. For Mureșan and other European officials, this makes Moldova’s European path not only a national choice but also a matter of broader continental security.