Australia and Vanuatu set to sign strategic pact after months of negotiations

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat and Anthony Albanese in Port Vila last year. (ABC News: Lillyrose Welwel) Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are set to ink the Nakamal Agreement later today in Canberra. It comes almost 10 months after Mr Napat pulled out of a planned signing ceremony in Port Vila, citing concerns around sovereignty. The updated Nakamal pact is also expected to reaffirm Vanuatu's existing laws, which state that its critical infrastructure will remain free from "militarisation". Link copiedShareShare articleAustralia and Vanuatu are on the brink of finally signing a landmark strategic pact after months of prolonged and sometimes acrimonious negotiations. Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are set to ink the Nakamal Agreement later today in Canberra, almost 10 months after Mr Napat pulled out of a planned signing ceremony in Port Vila, citing concerns around sovereignty. The pact being signed today has been watered down from the original Nakamal Agreement, which was given initial approval in a spectacular ceremony at a spiritually charged location atop Vanuatu's Mount Yasur last year. Most importantly, both countries have dropped key clauses clearly aimed at limiting Chinese investment in Vanuatu's ports, airports and telecommunications by blocking "third party involvement" in critical infrastructure which could affect either country or "the region's security interests". Last month, Vanuatu's cabinet finally gave a green light to the compromise pact, with one Vanuatu government source insisting it still enshrined Australia's position as the country's main security and policing partner, although without stopping Vanuatu from engaging with other countries. The same government source told the ABC that Vanuatu was willing to come to Australia "first" on critical infrastructure needs, although it is not clear whether that language is included in the final agreement to be signed by both leaders. Senior ministers from Australia and Vanuatu initialled the Nakamal Agreement at the top of Mount Yasur, an active volcano. (ABC News: Lillyrose WelWel) Yesterday, a version of the updated Nakamal Agreement was leaked on a well-known Facebook group in Vanuatu. A spokesperson for Vanuatu's government did not deny that the document was genuine, but said it was not the final version of the agreement set to be signed by both leaders later today. The leaked draft would not give Canberra veto power over investments on critical infrastructure, but said that Vanuatu would "consult Australia on proposed third party engagement in Vanuatu's critical infrastructure", which must remain "free from militarisation, any form of foreign interference or unauthorised access." The text did not prevent Vanuatu maintaining policing ties with China but recognised Australia as the Pacific nation's "longstanding primary policing partner" and said Vanuatu would "prioritise" Pacific Island Forum members when it made policing requests. An Australian government spokesperson declined to comment on the document. The updated Nakamal pact is expected to reaffirm Vanuatu's existing laws. (ABC News: Lillyrose WelWel) The updated Nakamal pact is also expected to reaffirm Vanuatu's existing laws, which state that its critical infrastructure will remain free from "militarisation". A spokesman for Vanuatu's government, Kiery Manassah, told local broadcaster VBTC on Saturday that Australia had "finally" given approval to the agreement, and that "as it stands" both leaders should sign the pact on Monday. The negotiations over Nakamal have also been complicated by the fierce struggle for influence in the Pacific island nation between Australia and China, which has been intent on securing its own strategic pact with Vanuatu called the Namele Agreement. The Australian government has privately accused Beijing of trying to block the Nakamal Agreement, and Mr Napat responded angrily when an Australian official told Vanuatu's major newspaper that the deal could be endangered if the Pacific nation signed a security pact with China. The Nakamal Agreement will cover infrastructure, climate change resilience and economic development but questions remain about what security and travel arrangements will be agreed to. The prime minister showed a flash of frustration with both Canberra and Beijing in parliament last month, saying Vanuatu's "development partners" were "using their interests to try to undermine us". The ABC has been told that Mr Napat characterised both the Nakamal Agreement and the Namele Agreement as "externally driven" pacts in a recent meeting with senior US officials. Some politicians in Vanuatu have also accused Australia of withholding funding for key development projects as Nakamal negotiations dragged on, and insisted they were blindsided when Australia excluded Vanuatu from this year's ballot for the Pacific Enga

Australia and Vanuatu set to sign strategic pact after months of negotiations

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