Indonesia has urged Australia to rebuke Pacific Island states who raise issues relating to West Papua in global fora.
Its Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu says he asked Australia to pass on a message to Solomon Islands and other Pacific states that they should not invite West Papua to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
They are also to be warned to not interfere in Indonesian domestic affairs.
A Research Fellow at the Australian National University's State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program, Dr Stewart Firth, told Johnny Blades Jakarta has misinterpreted Australia's relationship with Pacific countries.
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Photo: ANU