Prime Minister Hon. James Marape Prime Minister Hon. James Marape and Prime Minister Hon. Jeremy Manele of the Solomon Islands today (11.09.25) signed two significant agreements on the margins of the 54th Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting in Honiara.
These are:
• Agreement Concerning the Administration of Special Areas: This is a reviewed and updated version of an agreement first signed on January 25, 1987, in Port Moresby. The revised agreement aims to further strengthen the long-standing neighbourly relations and traditional bonds between the two nations. It recognizes the movement of traditional inhabitants of both countries, particularly under Article 7, which facilitates the cross-border movement of people, cargo, and conveyances within designated special areas on either side of the maritime boundary.
• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Combined Surveillance of the Common Maritime Border: This MOU is provided for by the Agreed Principles of Cooperation among Independent States in Melanesia, signed in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on March 14, 1988. Both nations, as members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group and as sovereign states sharing a common maritime border, will now establish a framework for a joint maritime surveillance program. This program will fall under the existing PNG/Solomon Islands Boundary Delimitation Treaty and Border Administration Agreement. The MOU’s purpose is to establish a framework for a joint maritime surveillance program between the two countries.
In his opening remarks before the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Marape highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the two nations, stating, “You know, we share blood links on both sides and we cannot help but co-exist. I am happy that we are signing this to give meaning to our strong kinship and relations between our two people and two countries.”
He added that the agreement is important for administering how Papua New Guineans and Solomon Islanders “move in and out in those special areas and live side by side.”
Prime Minister Manele echoed these sentiments, while expressing hope that the agreements would “serve as a foundation for deeper cooperation and stronger communities and build the friendship between our two people and our two nations.” The signing of these agreements mark a significant step forward in formalizing and strengthening the administrative and security cooperation between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, reflecting their shared heritage and commitment to regional stability.