ISTANBUL: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia moved to strengthen security ties during their first-ever trilateral defence ministers’ meeting, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Papua New Guinea’s Defence Minister Billy Joseph hosted Indonesian Defence Minister Shafrie Shamsuddin and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles on Wednesday (Dec 3) in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.
The three ministers "welcomed the development of the trilateral partnership, built on mutual respect, shared interests, and a collective vision for a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” said a joint statement released by the Australian government.
The ministers discussed defence and security cooperation between the three nations and "noted the breadth of military engagement between three close neighbours.”
They also "explored opportunities to enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and aviation best practice.”
The three defence chiefs also agreed to hold their trilateral defence ministers’ meeting annually, with Indonesia agreeing to host the forum in 2026. - Bernama-Anadolu
