No Australian government has offered PNG a binding security guarantee in the past. The current government must address four concerns before signing on the dotted line.

CANBERRA -- Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles met with his Papua New Guinea (PNG) counterpart Billy Joseph in Brisbane on Thursday to open talks on a formal treaty-level defense agreement. In a statement released ahead of the meeting, Marles said he wanted to take Australia's relationship with PNG to the "next level."

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