Australia and Fiji have formalised a new military alliance, the Ocean of Peace Alliance (Veitacini Treaty), under which both nations pledge to defend one another in the event of an armed attack. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka signed the agreement during a ceremony in Suva on Monday.
Mutual Defence Commitment
The treaty mirrors the PukPuk treaty Australia recently signed with Papua New Guinea, which comes into effect on Wednesday. Australia also maintains mutual defence pacts with the United States and New Zealand. The Ocean of Peace Alliance is part of a broader strategy to strengthen Pacific security and counterbalance Chinese influence in the region.
Climate and Cultural Ties
Alongside the defence pact, the leaders agreed to the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union, a new agreement focused on climate change cooperation. During the ceremony, Albanese participated in a traditional kava ceremony, sipping the drink from a shell. He emphasised the deep cultural and people-to-people links between the two nations, noting the presence of representatives from the Yolngu Nation in Northern Australia.
“Our countries share such strong cultural and people to people links demonstrated here today with representatives joining me from the Yolngu Nation in Northern Australia,” Albanese said. “This level of ambition is possible because Australia and Fiji are Vuvale – family – with a relationship grounded in trust, loyalty, understanding and respect.”
Broader Pacific Diplomacy
Albanese's Pacific tour also includes meetings with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale to further discuss a security deal, and with Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape on Wednesday. He will host the leaders of PNG and Tonga in Brisbane at the final State of Origin rugby league game on Wednesday.
The agreements follow the sealing of a $500 million deal with Vanuatu, called the Nakamal Agreement, under which Port Vila agreed to prohibit foreign military bases on its territory. These pacts form a key part of Australia's efforts to stave off Chinese influence in the Pacific.
