PACIFIC defence leaders have signaled openness to deeper security cooperation with partners across the Indo-Pacific, while making clear that national sovereignty must remain at the heart of any expanded foreign military presence.
The position was reinforced by Australia’s Assistant Minister for Defence Peter Khalil and Fiji’s Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua in their closing remarks at the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM), as regional leaders stressed collective responsibility and practical cooperation in securing the Blue Pacific.
Responding to questions from Islands Business on the potential for greater involvement by countries such as Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan, Khalil said countries bordering the Pacific were already making constructive contributions to regional security.
“The countries that you mentioned are very much engaged in the Pacific,” Khalil said. “All of our member nations here work constructively and cooperatively with Japan and Indonesia, and they have a presence here in the region.”
He said greater coordination across the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia was centred on maintaining “a free, open, stable and secure Pacific” where independence and sovereignty were protected, and people could trade and engage peacefully.
Khalil said military and security cooperation also had an important role in protecting trade, sea lanes and sovereignty, with regional partners expected to operate within agreed rules and a shared normative framework.
“We welcome efforts by all the countries of the region to contribute positively in that respect,” he said.
Tikoduadua also responded to Islands Business on the implications of a larger foreign military presence in Pacific countries, saying cooperation between Pacific nations and partner forces was already well established.
He pointed to the role of Pacific personnel alongside allies in global conflicts, peacekeeping missions and regional stabilisation efforts.
“We do a lot of work together here, and one of the best ways that we can work together is to be seen together,” he said.
He said such cooperation helped strengthen personal relationships and build deeper connections around shared interests and responsibilities.
However, Tikoduadua stressed that any foreign military cooperation in Fiji must put national sovereignty and the security of Pacific people at the forefront.
“The protection of Fiji’s sovereignty must remain the primary consideration for foreign forces operating in Fiji, he said.
The two ministers’ responses highlight a regional approach that remains open to defence partnerships and practical cooperation, while placing sovereignty, national interests and the security of Pacific communities at the centre of regional defence engagement.
