Newly-inked pact grants US 'unimpeded' access to key defense facilities in Papua New Guinea

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - A recently inked defense agreement has granted an "unimpeded access" to the US military to key defense facilities in Papua New Guinea (PNG), including the joint PNG-Australia Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island.

Signed last month, the 15-year Defense Cooperation Agreement has been made public for the first time after it was proposed in PNG's parliament, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

The signing of the pact came on the heels of China signing a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year, triggering reactions from the US and its allies in the region.

The latest agreement, which has replaced the Status of Forces Agreement between PNG and the US, is intended to "improve" military cooperation between the two nations – but it has invited criticism domestically.

It allows "unimpeded access" for "mutually agreed activities" to facilities including the Lombrum Naval base, the Port Moresby Seaport, as well as airports in Port Moresby, Lae and Momote.

That includes surveillance, reconnaissance activities, bunkering of vessels and the staging and deployment of forces.

Also, it grants the US authorities the "exclusive right to exercise criminal jurisdiction over US personnel."

PNG retains civil and administrative jurisdiction over US personnel for "acts or omissions" in the country outside the course of official duty.

Last month, when asked whether China’s defense pact with PNG’s neighboring Solomon Islands is a factor in renewing ties, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the agreement "is not about any other country."

The US Defense Department has also provided the PNG Defense Force with $5.4 million worth of personal protective equipment, including ballistic helmets, flak vests with armor plates, elbow pads, knee pads, and eye protection.

US President Joe Biden had been scheduled to pay an official visit to Papua New Guinea to sign the pact but his visit was canceled due to Washington’s debt crisis.