SYDNEY, June 7 (Reuters) - Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said his government "must remove the stigma" from a security agreement with Australia and work toward having it ratified by parliament, local media reported on Wednesday.
The Pacific Islands nation signed a security treaty covering disaster relief, defence, policing and cyber security with Australia in December, but during a visit by Australia Defence Minister Richard Marles on Tuesday, Vanuatu officials said the document was still being examined.
Some Vanuatu politicians who favour ties with China, a major infrastructure lender, have expressed concern over the deal.
"We must remove the stigma that the agreement is one-sided and does not reflect Vanuatu’s sovereignty," Kalsakau said in a speech, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported on Wednesday.
China's navy sent a ship with humanitarian supplies to Vanuatu in April after two cyclones hit in March.
Persons:
Ishmael Kalsakau, Richard Marles, Kalsakau, Kirsty Needham, Editng, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
SYDNEY, Vanuatu, Australia, Australia Defence, Vanuatu Daily Post, Australian Defence Force, HMAS Canberra, Thomson
Locations:
Australia, China, Vanuatu, Washington, United States, Papua New Guinea