On August 13th 2025, marked a significant milestone in the relationship between Australia and Vanuatu with the finalization of what is now known as the Nakamal Agreement. The agreement is the result of hard-fought negotiations - intensified in March this year with the strong leadership of the Prime Minister - Jotham Napat, after Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong had visited Vanuatu.
     
    The Nakamal Agreement signifies a mutual respect and understanding rooted in the core values that Vanuatu has stood for since independence.
    It stands in stark contrast to the previous agreement of 2022.
     
    The initial Bilateral Security Agreement signed by a previous government did not carry the support of the Government Caucus and Parliament at that time.
     
    The agreement was initiated when current Deputy Prime Minister, Johnny Koanapo was Minister for Internal Affairs until 2024 with Senator Marles. It's fitting, therefore, that he co-initialed the agreement with the three Australian cabinet Ministers today. He says the Nakamal Agreement embodies the spirit and practice of a meeting place, one symbolizing the meaning of Canberra which is also a meeting place similar to what we refer to as Nakamal.
     
    The negotiations, which began with the DG of Internal Affairs Leith Veremaito working on the first draft of pillars with Dr. Jason Thomas, focused on creating transformational investments through commercial policy. The negotiations continued through exchanged visits at both Ministerial and official levels.
     
    The agreement was initialed at the crater of Yasur, symbolizing its strong emphasis on mutual respect and common understanding. The ceremony's location also highlights the importance of cultural sensitivity and respect in the partnership between the two nations.
     
    The agreement will be presented to the government caucus and Council of Ministers (COM) before formal signing by Prime Minister Jotham Napat and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese next month.
     
    A team of government officials, led by the Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office, George Maniuri, played a crucial role in the negotiations, which began in early March and concluded this morning at the highest level at the Whitegrass Ocean Resort.
     
    While details of the agreement will be known in the days ahead, concrete steps are being made towards simpler access to Australia for Vanuatu citizens
    This development is expected to strengthen ties between the two nations and facilitate greater cooperation in various areas.
     
    The Nakamal Agreement represents a new chapter in the relationship between Australia and Vanuatu says Prime Minister Napat, one built on mutual respect, trust, and shared values.
    It is a testament to the commitment of both nations to work together in a spirit of partnership and cooperation

    Monday 4rd August, 2025 – On July 23, 2025, Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat and Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Koanapo Rasou met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for bilateral discussions.

    Amongst a host of many other key issues of mutual interest, high on the bilateral discussions was the outstanding issue of the maritime boundary delimitation and sovereignty over the two southern islands of Umaenupne/Matthew and Leka/Hunter, within Tafea province.

    Prime Minister Napat and President Macron have agreed to maintain an open and constructive dialogue, aiming for an amicable resolution to the sovereignty over the two islands.

    The leaders have instructed their negotiating teams to engage in discussions as soon as possible, with the first round of resumed negotiations to be held in Port Vila this autumn and the second round in France before the end of the year.

    This commitment aims to promote regional cooperation, stability, and strengthen the bilateral relationship between Vanuatu and France.

    A joint communique has been released publicly to inform citizens of both countries of the progress made so far.

    Download Communique (ENG) Download Communique (FR)

    Port Vila, Vanuatu - July 21st, 2025 – Prime Minister Jotham Napat is leading a high-level delegation to France this week for a crucial high level dialogue with French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting aims to strengthen bilateral relations, explore new opportunities for cooperation, and discuss key issues of mutual interest.

    The Prime Minister left the country on Sunday 20th of July and in his absence, the Minister of Agriculture Ian Wilson, is the Acting Prime Minister.

    Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Koanapo Rasou Nies who left earlier on Friday will also join Prime Minister Napat for the high-level dialogue with President Macron.

    Notably, Deputy Prime Minister Nies- in his capacity as the Minister for Finance and Economic Management, has other engagements, but has a key stop in Toulouse, France to meet with Airbus authorities.

    In addition to the meeting with President Macron, the Vanuatu delegation is scheduled to meet with heads of prominent financial institutions, including Bred Bank and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). These meetings will focus on strengthening relationships, identify investment opportunities, and discuss potential collaborations.

    The visit underscores the importance of the relationship between Vanuatu and France.

    PORT VILA, 19th June 2025 – Prime Minister Jotham Napat will participate in his first ever international engagement next week as he prepares to attend the Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders 23rd Summit in Fiji on Monday.

    The Leaders’ Summit is usually preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting and the Foreign Ministers Meeting – the former commencing on Wednesday this week and continuing on Thursday. The Foreign Ministers meeting takes place on Friday 20th June 2025.

    Prime Minister Napat leaves on Friday to participate in various activities over the weekend, organized by the hosts – Fiji – culminating in the Leaders’ Summit proper on Monday.

    On Tuesday he is expected to hold bilateral discussions with some of the MSG member countries before returning on Wednesday 25th June 2025.

    As outgoing Chairman of the MSG, Prime Minister Napat is also expected to formally handover the Chairmanship of the MSG to Fiji before the Leaders’ Summit. The handover is expected to be done in the formal traditional Melanesian fashion.

    In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Johnny Koanapo Rasou, will be Acting Prime Minister.

    PORT VILA, 17th June 2025 – The Vanuatu Government fully understands the frustrations people have over the conditions of the roads in the Capital but stresses that it is highly imperative that relevant authorities follow due processes to ensure that the road conditions are fixed to last.

    The experience is that most sealing works have not been carried out correctly in the past, costing the country lots of money to continuously patch, only for those patching work to come off during severe weather conditions. The Government, through the Ministry of Infrastructure cannot continue the same approach.

    However, as seen from this map (attached), the roads marked (light green) within the CBD are under tender, while the ones marked yellow are being prepared for tendering in July.

    The Government is also urging everyone to bear with PWD as they have been undergoing vital training on how to properly carry out sealing works. Under current planning schedule, PWD will be fixing the roads outside of the CBD areas.

    The Government also wishes to reiterate that fixing the roads within the town areas cannot be done without first fixing the drainage and key components of a modern road network. Such a task requires proper planning and design.

    Additionally, in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the rebuilding of Port Vila is currently being discussed through a consultative process – with the public being invited to provide their feedbacks and suggestions on how to improve the town overall look and experience.

    Through this participatory approach, the Government hopes to rebuild Port Vila City back better and stronger.

    Meanwhile, the Government has ordered more equipment and machinery to help them address the road conditions in and around Port Vila. This is what resilience building is all about.

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