Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has lambasted the Australian government for failing to consult with the Pacific nation ahead of joining the AUKUS alliance.
Speaking before Solomon Islands parliament, Mr Sogavare said the country was not given prior warning Australia had signed up to a new security agreement that involved nuclear submarines.
"The AUKUS Treaty will see nuclear submarines in Pacific waters," he said.
"I learnt of the AUKUS treaty in the media. One would expect that as a member of the Pacific family, the Solomon Islands and members of the Pacific should have been consulted to ensure this AUKUS treaty is transparent," he said.
The comments come in the wake of the Solomon Islands signing a security pact with China, a decision that has been criticised by Australia.
"I realise that Australia is a sovereign country, and that it can enter into any treaty it wants to, transparently or not, which is exactly what they did with AUKUS treaty."
It comes after the Australian government accused the Solomons of not giving it notice about its security deal with China.
The security deal has become one of the leading issues of the election campaign, with the Opposition accusing the government of dropping the ball on Pacific relations.
Mr Sogavare said the Solomon Islands did not criticise the AUKUS deal when news of the alliance became known.
"When Australia signed up to AUKUS, we did not become theatrical or hysterical about the implications this would have for us," he said.
"We respected Australia's decision."
'No issues were raised' says Morrison
In a press conference hours after Mr Sogavare's comments, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he spoke to his Solomon Islands counterpart Manasseh Sogavare the day after the trilateral AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States was announced in September last year.
"I spoke to Prime Minister Sogavare the day following the [AUKUS] announcement ... and no issues were raised at that time in that discussion," Mr Morrison told reporters in Bell Bay, Tasmania, on Friday afternoon.
"But obviously, as time goes on and new relationships are entered into, there's obviously been some clearly other influences in the perspective taken by the Solomon Islands prime minister," Mr Morrison said.
Australian foreign minister Marise Payne has previously said the government would continue to seek assurances from the Solomons government the new security deal would not lead to China building a military base in the Pacific nation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also stated that such a base in the Solomons would be a "red line" for Australia.
Mr Sogarave took aim at Australia's security treaty with the Solomon Islands, saying it was inadequate after riots in Honiara were not contained.
Australia sent a peacekeeping force to the Solomons in late 2021 following the riots.
Mr Sogavare said the riots nearly "crippled" the country.
With AAP
