Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a busy day meeting with Australian leaders and other activities on his second day of the visit to Australia from March 14-16.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets Senate, House leaders of Australia

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (centre) meets with President of the Senate Scott Ryan (R) and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith of Australia on March 15 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with President of the Senate Scott Ryan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith in Canberra on March 15 during his official visit to Australia from March 14-16.

The Australian legislators welcomed the PM, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation on their official visit to Australia, describing the visit an important hallmark in 2018 when the two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

They spoke highly of the results of the talks between the two PMs, especially the signing of a Joint Statement on the establishment of the Vietnam-Australia Strategic Partnership and other important cooperation deals in education-training, science-technology and agriculture, saying these created breakthroughs in the relations between the two countries as well as ratcheted up cooperation in specific areas.

“Vietnam treasures and wants to deepen the relations with Australia via all channels, including the parliamentary one,” the PM told these leaders, suggesting their bodies to pay heed to pushing the cooperation between the law-making agencies of the two countries to match the freshly - established Strategic Partnership.

The Australian leaders hailed the outcomes reached during the official visit to Australia by Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in November 2017 and said they will visit Vietnam at the earliest possible time. 

The Senate and the House of Representatives always support and provide maximal assistance to the development of Vietnam-Australia relations, they stressed.

Senate President Scott Ryan highlighted the role of nearly 300,000 Vietnamese-Australian people to the growth of Australia and said he will continue working to support the Vietnamese community in their integration into the local society and making wealth so they will make continuous constructive contributions to the respective country’s development as well as the bilateral ties.

House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith, for his part, showed his impression at the strong tourism cooperation between the two countries, citing the figure of nearly 500,000 Australians having visited Vietnam in 2017. 

PM Phuc agreed with the two leaders that education cooperation continues the spotlight in the two countries’ cooperation as evidenced by nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students currently studying in Australia plus 60,000 Vietnamese alumni of Australian universities and colleges, and thousands of Australian students taking part in exchange programmes in Vietnam under the New Colombo Plan.

“By accelerating education cooperation, the two countries are working together to build a foundation for their future,” he underscored.

Earlier on the day, PM Phuc visited the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an independent agency of the Australian Federal Government responsible for scientific research in Australia, and attended an exhibition on renovations and creativity there.

The Vietnamese leader welcomed the sound partnership between the organization and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, noting that the two countries, with their supplementary strengths, shall cooperate to make the best use of opportunities brought by Industry 4.0. He also suggested the CSIRO continuing assisting Vietnam to develop green, organic and high-tech agriculture.

Vietnamese PM meets with Governor-General of Australia

Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) meets with Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove in Canberra on March 15

Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove hailed the importance of the establishment of a strategic partnership between their countries at a meeting in Canberra on March 15.

PM Phuc expressed his delight that his official visit coincided with the 45th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties. 

Governor-General Cosgrove said he is impressed with the breakthrough development of Vietnam’s economy in recent years, congratulating the country on its active integration and improving its role and stature in the region and the world, especially the successful organisation of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in 2017.

The two sides described the strategic partnership establishment as a breakthrough in bilateral relations, creating a new framework and opportunities for cooperation in the pillar fields. They affirmed the resolve to increase high-ranking visits and meetings and step up people-to-people exchange.

Cosgrove confirmed that he will pay an official visit to Vietnam in late May 2018 and consider this as a practical contribution to celebrations of the 45-year diplomatic relationship.

He underlined that people-to-people and cultural exchange and tourism cooperation provided a solid foundation for the strategic partnership today as well as in the future.

There are currently nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students in Australia, more than 60,000 others who used to study in Australia, and over 1,000 under the New Colombo Plan. Nearly 500,000 Australians visited the Southeast Asian nation in 2017. Those are vivid evidence of the two countries’ close-knit connections, he noted.

At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in security, defence, economy-trade-investment, education, labour, and science-technology in line with the countries’ strategic partnership.

[Joint statement on establishment of Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership]

The Governor-General said the Vietnamese community with over 300,000 people in Australia are making important contributions to and increasingly affirming their role in the local socio-economic life, becoming a friendship bridge linking the two nations.

PM Phuc thanked and asked Australia to continue creating favourable conditions for these expats to integrate into the local society and do more for bilateral ties.

Discussing some regional and international issues of shared concern, PM Phuc highly valued the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit hosted for the first time by Australia in Sydney. Meanwhile, Governor-General Cosgrove reiterated his country’s stance of supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea and the compliance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

After the meeting, Governor-General Cosgrove drove a buggy taking PM Phuc and his spouse to see kangaroos in the grounds of the Government House, a special act showing Australia’s respect for Vietnam.

Later on March 15, the two leaders and their spouses, along with Government officials of Vietnam and Australia, attended a banquet marking the 45th anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic relations.

In his speech, Governor-General Cosgrove said Australia is proud to have a friend like Vietnam and support Vietnam to develop and achieve impressive growth and development attainments. He voiced his belief that the two countries’ connectivity will continue to flourish in the future.

PM Phuc also expressed his belief in a bright future of bilateral relations, particularly when the strategic partnership is implemented in all aspects, for the sake of the two peoples and for a peaceful and prosperous Asian-Pacific region.

Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove drives a buggy to take Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on a tour around his residence in Canberra to see kangaroo.  Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove,​ Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (second, right) and their spouses pose for a photo at the Governor-General's residence in Canberra on March 15.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) pays a courtesy visit to Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove on March 15.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) meets President of the Australia-Vietnam Friendship Society Kim Sampson on March 15.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and takes a tour of an exhibition of Australia-Vietnam's opportunities in era of the Industry 4.0.   Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (centre) meets with Australia's President of the Senate Scott Ryan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith in Canberra.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull chair a press conference after the welcoming ceremony and their talks.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull witness the signing of agreements between the two countries. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sign a joint statement to elevate the Vietnam-Australia ties to Strategic Partnership.  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pose for a photo at the signing of the establishment of the Vietnam-Australia Strategic Partnership.

VNA