Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and hisAustralian counterpart Anthony Albanese agreed to elevate their countries’relations to a new level in the future during their talks in Hanoi on June 4morning.

Welcoming PM Albanese on his official visit to Vietnam on June3-4, the host leader said the trip, which takes place amid the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations and five years since theestablishment of the Strategic Partnership, will create a new impetus forbilateral ties.

He thanked Australia for consistently supporting Vietnam’snational construction and development, emphasising that Vietnam always attachesimportance to and wishes to enhance the friendship and cooperation with Australia.

PM Albanese noted his country treasures the StrategicPartnership with Vietnam and views Vietnam as a centre during the building of itsstrategy on relations with Southeast Asia.

Both host and guest noted with satisfaction the flourishingrelations in all fields between their countries.

High-ranking mutual visits and meetings have been heldfrequently. The action plan for implementing the Strategic Partnership for 2020- 2023 have borne fruit. Bilateral trade approximated 16 billion USD in 2022,up 30% from the previous year, turning the two sides into one of the 10 biggesttrading partners of each other. Security and defence cooperation has becomeincreasingly effective and substantive, especially in training and assistingwith United Nations peacekeeping operations and fighting transnational crimesand cybercrime. Partnerships in agriculture, education - training, labour, and people-to-peopleexchanges have also been thriving, they said.

They agreed to increase high-level mutual visits and meetingsbetween the two countries’ Parties, parliaments, and governments; boostpeople-to-people exchanges; build an action plan for implementing the StrategicPartnership in the new period; push ahead with economic, trade, and investment links,including fruitfully carrying out the plan on implementing the EnhancedEconomic Engagement Strategy (EEES) for 2021 - 2025; reinforce the two economies’connectivity; and step up cooperation in defence, security, judicial affairs, officialdevelopment assistance (ODA), education - training, science - technology,labour, transport, tourism, climate change response, and digital transformation.

In that spirit, the two PMs agreed to promote their countries’relations to a new level in the future.

PM Chinh pledged optimal conditions for Australian enterprisesto invest in Vietnam in such fields as infrastructure development,telecommunications, finance - banking, education, high-tech agriculture, greentransition, digital transformation, and resident data development.

The host leader asked Australia to facilitate Vietnameseinvestment in mining, agriculture, e-commerce, aviation, and tourism, as well as open its door further to Vietnamese exports. He also highly valued Australia’sincrease of its ODA for Vietnam by 2.5% in the 2023 - 2024 fiscal year andsuggested ODA cooperation be considered an important part of the bilateral partnershipin the future.

PM Albanese affirmed that Australia hopes to continue expanding securityand defence ties and will maintain cooperation in ODA. He agreed to bolsterbilateral investment, increase scholarships for Vietnamese students,re-consider the 1995 air services agreement to increase the number of flightsbetween the two countries, and actively implement cooperation in new areas suchas digital economy and digital transformation.

He also announced an aid package of 105 million AUD (69.4 millionUSD) for the collaboration in infrastructure, climate change response, andenergy transition with Vietnam.

At the talks, following an official welcome ceremony for theAustralian PM, both sides concurred in strengthening cooperation andcoordination at multilateral forums, especially the UN, the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Albanese stated Australia attaches importance to the ComprehensiveStrategic Partnership with ASEAN and always supports the bloc’s centrality. It willput Vietnam at the focus of the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 thatit is developing and continue enhancing cooperation with the Mekong sub-region.

PM Chinh stressed Vietnam’s support for Australia’s organisationof a commemorative summit marking the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN -Australia partnership. His counterpart also voiced support for Vietnam’shosting of the APEC meetings in 2027.

Discussing the East Sea issue, they underlined the importance ofmaintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom ofnavigation and overflight in the East Sea; fostering dialogue and enhancing trust;and resolving disputes by peaceful means in line with international law,including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Australian leader invited PM Chinh to pay an official visitto his country in 2023.  The PM ofVietnam accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Following the talks, the two PMs witnessed the exchange of fourcooperation documents between their countries, namely a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) on setting up the ministerial-level dialogue mechanism ontrade; an MoU on implementing the second phase of the Aus4Innovation Programme in Vietnam; the one on exchanging financial intelligenceinformation related to money laundering and terrorism sponsorship; and anotheron granting scholarships for students of Vietnam and the region between theUniversity of Economics Ho Chi Minh City and the Western Sydney University. Certificatesof Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet’s opening of more direct air routes between thetwo countries were also presented on this occasion./.