Panorama of the Australian city of Brisbane. File photoMOSCOW, Apr 29Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasse Sogaware criticized Australia for failing to inform the South Pacific states of its decision to acquire nuclear submarines in partnership with the US and UK AUKUS, Australian TV channel 9News reported on Friday. Australia regarding the conclusion of the agreement on the security of the Solomon Islands with China. Australia fears that China will expand its influence in the South Pacific and there will be Chinese military bases. Moreover, no one hid the anti-Chinese orientation of AUKUS.Psaki denied reports of Japan's invitation to AUKUSAccording to 9News, Sogaware, speaking to his parliament, said he learned of AUKUS's strategic partnership «through the media» and not directly from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. families of the Solomon Islands and the countries of Oceania will be consulted to ensure that the AUKUS treaty is transparent as it affects the Pacific community by allowing nuclear submarines into the waters of Oceania,» Sogaware quoted the TV channel as saying. «When Australia signed up to AUKUS, we did not play the theater and tantrum about the consequences (for the state — ed.),» the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands emphasized. As 9News notes, Australian Prime Minister Morrison responded to criticism of Sogawara by telling reporters that he spoke with Sogawara about AUKUS a day after The deal was announced publicly. «During the discussion, no questions were raised,» the head of the Australian government said. At the same time, he recalled that Australia sent police and military personnel to the Solomon Islands at the end of last year, when riots broke out there and the parliament building and Chinese shopping districts were set on fire. Subsequently, China supplied the Solomon Islands with special forces equipment and concluded a security agreement with this island country. The AUKUS partnership came as a surprise not only to the Solomon Islands, but especially to France, with which Australia canceled a contract for the supply of submarines for 56 billion euros. Instead, it is planned to build nuclear submarines in Australia itself with the technical assistance of the United States and Great Britain.
