Australia To End Offshore Migrant Processing In Papua New Guinea

Umer Jamshaid Published October 06, 2021 | 02:06 PM

Papua New Guinea will no longer serve as an offshore migrant processing hub for Australia after December 31, 2021, minsters of the two countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2021) Papua New Guinea will no longer serve as an offshore migrant processing hub for Australia after December 31, 2021, minsters of the two countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

The sides thus decided not to renew the July 19, 2013, agreement, allowing regional processing in Papua New Guinea of people who have attempted to illegally enter Australia by sea.

"The Australian and Papua New Guinean (PNG) Governments have agreed to finalise the Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA) at the end of 2021, realising a long shared objective of the PNG and Australian Governments .

.. Under the timeline announced today, Australian Government regional processing contracts in PNG will cease on 31 December 2021 and will not be renewed," Australian Home Secretary Karen Andrews and Papua New Guinea Minister for Immigration and Border Security Westly Nukundi Nukundj said.

At the same time, Australia said that its policy on border protection has not changed, and anyone who tries to illegally get into the country by sea will be returned back or sent to the diminutive state of Nauru.