Vietnam and Australia have issued a joint statement on lifting bilateral to the next level during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s official visit to Australia.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung in Australia.

The following is the full text of the joint statement:

“Following their meeting in Canberra today, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Prime Minister Tony Abbott of Australia underscored the strength and breadth of Vietnam -Australia ties and agreed to lift the relationship to a new level. They agreed to deepen and intensify the existing Comprehensive Partnership, reflecting the increasingly strategic nature of the bilateral relationship.

“Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made an official visit to Australia from March 16-18, 2015 as a guest of the Australian Government. He was accompanied by a delegation of Ministers, Vice Ministers and business representatives. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met a range of Australian political, business and community leaders during his visit.

“During their talks, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Prime Minister Tony Abbott covered a wide range of high priority issues, including trade, investment, education, development assistance, defence, the South China Sea (which Vietnam calls the East Sea), and their shared commitment to strengthening the strategic and security mandate of the East Asia Summit.

“The Prime Ministers witnessed the signing of the Declaration on Enhancing the Australia – Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, which sets out a high-level strategic agenda to guide the relationship in coming years. The Declaration covers regional and international cooperation, trade and investment, industry development, development assistance, defence, law enforcement and security.

“The two Foreign Ministers will sign a revised Plan of Action later in 2015, which will outline the practical steps towards our new and refocused priority areas of cooperation.

“A suite of memorandums of understanding were also signed during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit on unexploded ordnance removal, peacekeeping, a new working holiday maker visa arrangement and preventing human trafficking.

“The two Prime Ministers underlined the importance of strong ties at the political level, foreshadowing a regular exchange of high-level visits between the two countries. In this spirit, the Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr Robb, will lead a trade mission to Vietnam in the second half of 2015 to promote further the wide range of trade and investment opportunities.

“Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung and Prime Minister Tony Abbott agreed to reach a prompt conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, noting these agreements would help to drive higher growth. Australia stands ready to support Vietnam’s efforts to host Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2017.

“The two Prime Ministers called on all parties to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could increase tensions in the region, including the use of coercion or force to unilaterally alter the status quo. Prime Minister Abbott and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung agreed on the urgent need to progress a code of conduct for the South China Sea (COC).

“Reflecting the enormous commercial potential in the bilateral relationship, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung participated in a high-level business roundtable in Sydney with senior Australian and Vietnamese business leaders. Underscoring the growing people-to-people links between Australia and Vietnam, Mr Nguyen Tan Dung met with Australian students planning to live, work and study in Vietnam under the New Colombo Plan.

“Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also planted a tree at the National Arboretum in Canberra. The species, Acacia Implexa, was developed by Australian and Vietnamese scientists.

“In Canberra, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Leader of the Opposition. In Sydney, Mr Nguyen Tan Dung met the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Governor of New South Wales.

“Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung extended to Prime Minister Tony Abbott an invitation to visit Vietnam, which he accepted with pleasure.”

Vietnam, Australia to enhance comprehensive partnership

During Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s official visit to Australia, the two sides issued a declaration on strengthening the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was established on September 7, 2009.

The declaration is designed to build upon achievements, expand and deepen the strong relationship between Vietnam and Australia and implement principles to bring benefits to the region.

The declaration creates a framework for promoting cooperation between the two countries in five key fields.

Firstly, in bilateral cooperation, Vietnam and Australia recognize the importance of high-leval political dialogues in order to promote bilateral cooperation. The two countries will continue to boost high-ranking delegation exchanges and working-level dialogues between the Vietnamese Communist Party, Government and National Assembly with Australia’s key political parties, Government and Parliament. The two countries share joint interests in regional peace and security and pledge to continue dialogues and cooperation in defence, security, navigation and aviation safety in the region, law enforcement and the fight against trans-national crimes.

Vietnam and Australia commit to strengthening links between the two countries’ people through promoting cooperation in culture, sports and tourism.

They affirm to expand their cooperation in science, education, vocational training and laws and justice, as well as in environmental protection and climate change response, natural resources, finance, media, and consular issues.

Regarding regional and international cooperation, Vietnam and Australia recognise that their security and prosperity are in close association with stability in the Indian and Pacific Oceans region. They affirm to cooperate at regional forums to continue developing an assistance structure for security, stability and cooperation while promoting measures to build trust and minimize risks of conflict in the region.

The two countries will cooperate on cementing regional structures, including the East Asian Summit and those in which the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations plays a central role, to promote peace, stability, and regional security. The two countries also commit to close cooperation at the United Nations (UN) in promoting issues of shared interests and improving the effectiveness of the UN institution.

Vietnam and Australia affirm the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, ensuring navigation and aviation security, safety and freedom, the observance of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ) in 1982, not using force nor threatening to use force. They call on parties to restrain and refrain from any action that can escalate tension in the region. The two countries also agree on the urgent need to create a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

For cooperation in economic growth and trade and industrial development, the two sides will develop and promote bilateral trade and investment relations in key sectors, taking into account that Vietnam’s and Australia’s economies are complementary. They commit to boosting cooperation and make efforts to early complete negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ( RCEP ).

In the field of development cooperation, Australia recognises Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation since the 1990’s and its current development goals and will continue supporting Vietnam in implementing its Socio-Economic Development Strategy (2011-2020). The two countries will maintain annual dialogues on development assistance.

Regarding cooperation on defence, law enforcement and security, Vietnam and Australia will continue holding dialogues and cooperation on defence and security through existing multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, while going forward with joint activities aviation and maritime security, peacekeeping, anti-terrorism and issues relating to war consequences.

The two countries commit to boosting cooperation in fighting trans-national crime in the region, including human and drug trafficking, laundering, and high-tech crimes.

They recognise other challenges such as food security, natural resources management, and disease and disaster risks, and intend to cooperate to solve these challenges within the bilateral framework and international forums.

 

VNA