Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull have decided to upgrade the two countries’ Enhanced Comprehensive Partnership to Strategic Partnership, making Australia the 12th Strategic Parner of Viet Nam.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (left) shakes hands with Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra on March 15, 2018. Photo: VGP

The two countries set up diplomatic relations on February 26, 1973 and elevated the relationship to Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and to Enhanced Comprehensive Partnership in 2015.

The two-way trade value reached nearly US$7 billion last year, official statistics show.

During the talks, PM Phuc extended thanks to the Government and people of Australia for their warm and considerate welcome to the Vietnamese high-level delegation; expressing his belief that Turnbull's Government will continue gaining greater achievements to ensure his country's prosperity and rising role and position in the region and the world.

The two PMs showed their pleasure at the vigorous developments of the Viet Nam-Australia relationship which is featured with increasing political trust and share of strategic interests, creating a firm premise for the two countries to upgrade the bilateral ties to Strategic Partnership.

Both sides agreed to foster the exchange of delegations at all levels, from Party, State, Government to Legislature channels as well as people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders agreed to set up contact mechanisms at foreign-defense-economic ministerial levels while maintaining the current bilateral cooperation mechanisms and actively implementing their joint action program for the period of 2016-2019.

They appreciated the effective and practical cooperation in defense and security, which reflects their strategic trust. PM Malcolm Turnbull affirmed Australia will expand training assistance for Viet Nam to join the United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation to cope with common security challenges, including combatting terrorism, transnational crimes, and illegal immigration among others in order to safeguard security in each country and contribute to peace and stability in the region. 

The talks between the two PMs. Photo: VGP

As Australia is the 8th biggest trade partner of Viet Nam while Viet Nam is the 15th biggest trade partner of Australia, the two sides agreed to continue creating favorable conditions to advance economic cooperation in a comprehensive, deep and wide manner.

PM Malcolm Turnbull reiterated his country always welcomes and backs Vietnamese agricultural products to penetrate Australian market provided that they meet the Oceanian country's standards.

PM Phuc, meanwhile, asked the Government of Australia to encourage businesses to pour investments in such fields like energy, telecommunication, knowledge economy, science and technology, and technological transfer in Viet Nam.

Regarding development cooperation, PM Phuc spoke highly of Australia's official development assistance (ODA) and called for more ODA from Australia to priority areas like infrastructure development, agriculture and rural development, climate change adaptation, human resource development and e-Government development.

The two PMs sign the Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and Australia. Photo: VGP

Both sides emphasized that the increasingly deep connectivity between the two countries through education, tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges has laid firm foundation for the Strategic Partnership at present and in the future.

The two PMs expressed their pleasure at the rising number of Vietnamese students in Australia, reaching nearly 30,000 and the alumni community of 60,000, who have contributed to raising the quality of workforce in Viet Nam.

Regarding multilateral aspect, PM Phuc highly valued Australia's efforts to cooperate with and support Viet Nam to successfully host the APEC Year 2017, congratulating Australia on hosting the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.

PM Malcolm Turnbull reaffirmed Australia's support for ASEAN's central role, unity and solidarity, saying the upgrading of Viet Nam-Australia relationship to Strategic Partnership ahead of the Summit is of significant importance for the Summit and the ASEAN-Australia relations as well.

Both sides agreed to continue close and effective coordination at regional and international forums, including ASEAN, EAS, APEC. PM Malcolm Turnbull lauded Viet Nam's efforts to accelerate the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTTP).

The two PMs agreed on the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, of settling disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The two PMs also voiced support for early conclusion of a more legally-binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

The bilateral talks took place in a frank, open and sincere atmosphere.

PM Phuc took the occasion to invite PM Malcolm Turnbull to visit Viet Nam soon and the latter accepted the invitation with pleasure./.

PM lauds efforts of friendship society to boost VN-Australia ties

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) received President of the Australia-Vietnam Friendship Society Kim Sampson on March 15 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly spoke of efforts by the Australia – Vietnam Friendship Society (AVFS) to promote friendship and mutual understanding between people of Vietnam and Australia while talking to AVFS President Kim Sampson on March 15.

PM Phuc met with Kim in Canberra on the second day of his official visit to Australia from March 14-18.

He informed Kim the results of his talks with Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, especially the official establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

He urged the AVFS to further step up cooperation programmes and projects in economics, trade, investment, culture, sports, healthcare, and people-to-people exchange between Vietnam and Australia to match the new level of ties.

Welcoming the PM, Kim said the society has carried out many projects to support Vietnam, particularly the settlement of Agent Orange/Dioxin consequences, and to enhance exchanges in education and healthcare. The society’s members, who work in different fields, have played an active part to aid its effort to develop the relations and make the bilateral cooperation more effective, he added.

The members then updated the PM on the society’s new projects, most notably the young doctors’ exchange programme between the two countries that seeks to help Vietnam improve healthcare service quality. It also plans to develop projects to support disadvantaged people and people with disabilities and to promote both sides’ cuisine cultures.

PM Phuc, for his part, vowed that the Government of Vietnam will support and provide all possible conditions for the society to implement the projects in the country.

The AVFS grew out of the opposition to the war in Vietnam during the 1960s and 1970s, marked notably by the moratoriums and an escalating anti-war movement. After some decades of change, the organization was re-launched on August 12, 2014. Its main focus is to support for the Children’s Fund in Vietnam where a lack of educational opportunity and especially malnutrition still exist and the effects of Agent Orange still linger.

VGP/VNA