THE Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison pointed out that his country will answer calmly in the Solomon Islands, whose prime minister spoke today about threat of “invasion”after his country signed security agreement with China.
Australia is worried after the Solomon Islands, its traditional ally as well as the United States, signed a security agreement with China in April. THE Canberra and the Washington are concerned that this agreement will allow Beijing to gain a military presence in the archipelago, which is located 2,000 kilometers from Australia.
It should not exist “no worries” regarding security agreementsaid on Tuesday addressing the parliament their prime minister Solomon Islands Manasheh Sugavare, denouncing “the continuing lack of trust” from other countries.
Without naming Australia, Sugavare said there was a “risk of military intervention” by countries that believe their interests in the Solomon Islands are at stake.
“In other words (…) we are threatening an invasion and this is serious,” the prime minister stressed. “They treat us like kindergarten students crawling with Colt 45 in their hands and they have to be careful,” he added.
“We feel offended,” Sogavare complained.
“None of this is true,” Morrison said when asked by reporters.
“We have to show calmness and moderation when we face these kinds of problems,” he added.
The Australian Prime Minister stressed that his government treats the “family” of the Pacific states as equal, but added that he is concerned about the “secret agreement” signed between the Solomon Islands and China.
According to Sogavare, she the agreement with Beijing was necessary because during the riots that broke out in the Solomon Islands in November 2021 the forces of order sent by Australia and other Pacific countries proved incapable of protecting the Chinese embassy and the Chinese community in the country.
Although the details of the agreement have not been announced, Sugavare has denied allegations that he plans to set up a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands and stressed that he aims to protect Chinese projects in the country.
At the same time, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands criticized Australia for describing the Pacific Ocean as its “backyard”, saying that it is an offensive expression as in the local culture in the backyards people usually put chickens, pigs and leave their garbage.
The security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands has become a central theme in the election campaign in the run-up to the May 21 parliamentary elections, with the opposition accusing Morrison of making Australia “less secure” and that the deal was a major diplomatic mistake by his government.
The Labor Party commented today during a pre-election debate that Australia’s relations with the Solomon Islands have deteriorated, adding that Canberra should invest more in diplomacy in the Pacific and not just increase its military spending.
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