Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with his Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele at Parliament House on Wednesday morning.
Manele was elected PM of the Pacific Island nation – about 1,700km north-east of Cairns – in April, succeeding Manasseh Sogavare in the role. This is his first international trip since being elected.
Who is Jeremiah Manele?
In 2022, Sogavare signed a security deal with China, stoking concerns of an increased Chinese presence close to Australia. Since then, Australia has prioritised relations with the Solomons under its own security deal, deploying police to events such as the 2023 Pacific Games and this year’s election.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Albanese said meetings today were an “important next step” in the countries’ partnership. Manele said he and Albanese had “frank discussions” this morning about the Solomons’ international ties, and that it was “important” for the country to work with “all our partners” to resolve “internal security challenges”.
Manele will visit China next month and is expected to continue advancing ties with the Chinese Government while in office.
