Scott Morrison has not spoken to Solomon Islands prime minister since calling election

Australian PM insists he wants positive relationship, while Manasseh Sogavare says use of back yard' to describe country is offensive

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing

Scott Morrison has not spoken with the prime minister of Solomon Islands since the Australian election campaign began but insists he wants to put the countries' relationship back on a positive footing.

The Australian prime minister made the remarks on Wednesday, a day after his Pacific island counterpart Manasseh Sogavare launched a thinly veiled criticism of some politicians' language about Solomon Islands in the wake of the controversial security agreement with China.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning