Morrison defends management of Australia's ties to Solomons : NPR & More News Here

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated Thursday he was following safety officers’ recommendation in managing bilateral relations with the Solomon Islands after the South Pacific neighbor’s chief alleged he’d been threatened “with invasion.”

Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare instructed Parliament on Wednesday that opponents of his new safety pact with China had threatened his nation and insulted it.

Sogavare didn’t identify the United States or Australia. Both nations have instructed the Solomons {that a} Chinese navy presence within the Solomons lower than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off the northeast Australian coast wouldn’t be tolerated.

“We deplore the continual demonstration of lack of trust by the concerned parties, and tacit warning of military intervention in Solomon Islands if their national interest is undermined in Solomon Islands,” Sogavare stated.

“In other words, we are threatened with invasion,” Sogavare added.

On the risk of invasion, Morrison stated: “Of course, none of that’s true.”

Morrison rejected the center-left opposition Labor Party’s recommendation to phone Sogavare.

“I can tell you very clearly that I am following very carefully the advice that I get from our security intelligence agencies in how we are responsibly managing the issues in relation to this matter,” Morrison instructed reporters. “That is exactly what I’m doing.”

Morrison added that he had had contact with Sogavare “in the last few months,” however didn’t specify when.

Opposition chief Anthony Albanese has promised nearer engagement between Australia and its South Pacific neighbors if Labor wins elections on May 21.

“The fact that the prime minister hasn’t picked up the phone to Prime Minister Sogavare says an enormous amount … about what is needed in terms of that relationship,” Albanese stated.

“The government has dropped the ball on the Pacific right now,” Albanese added.

Morrison stated final month that Australia and the United States shared the identical “red line” when it got here to opposing a Chinese navy base on the Solomons. Neither Australia nor the United States have stated how they could reply to such a Chinese presence.

Sogavare has maintained that there could be no Chinese base in his nation.

“We are being treated as kindergarten students walking around with Colt .45s in our hands, and therefore we need to be supervised. We are insulted,” Sogavare stated on Wednesday.

Morrison stated Australia wanted to be “calm and composed” in coping with the Solomons.

“Mr. Sogavare has entered into a secret arrangement with the Chinese government, he has done that with a number of his Cabinet ministers,” Morrison stated.

“That did not come as a surprise to our government and so now we just work responsibly with our partners to manage that situation to first protect the security interests of Australia but also of the Solomon Islands,” Morrison stated.

“We are very concerned for the Solomon Islands. We’re very concerned for the broader security in the Southwest Pacific. Other leaders that I’ve been in regular contact (with) are equally concerned,” Morrison added.

Labor has condemned the China-Solomons pact as Australia’s largest overseas coverage failure within the Pacific since World War II.

Morrison stated Australia remained the Solomons’ most popular safety associate regardless of the brand new pact.

Australia already has a bilateral safety pact with the Solomons and Australian police peacekeepers have been within the capital, Honiara, since riots in November.

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