On the afternoon of December 27, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Australian Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski on the occasion of the Ambassador’s completion of his term in Vietnam.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Australian Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski. Photo: VGP
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At the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed Vietnam’s desire to further enhance cooperation and learn from Australia’s development experience. To deepen the bilateral relationship, he proposed maintaining high-level visits and contacts, promoting people-to-people exchanges, and cooperating in tourism, education, and expanding the development of RMIT University in Vietnam. The Prime Minister also suggested that Australia provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students.
To further strengthen this cooperation, the Prime Minister suggested focusing on training and exchanges, cybersecurity cooperation, and implementing partnerships in peacekeeping and resolving wartime legacies. He emphasized the importance of putting the past behind, overcoming differences, and focusing on commonalities to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Moreover, the Prime Minister proposed increasing market access for each other’s products, refraining from imposing trade barriers, and strongly promoting investment from Australian investors in Vietnam.
Noting that Vietnam is currently one of the countries with the largest number of students studying in Australia, the Prime Minister requested that the Australian side continue to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens, students, and workers in Australia.
Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski assessed that the bilateral relationship has developed rapidly in the past year, with a pace of “one year equal to ten years.”
He praised Vietnam’s successful management of its foreign relations and stated that Australia wants to be Vietnam’s number one partner in various fields, including agriculture, technology, green energy transition, rare minerals, and enhanced security and defense cooperation.
The Ambassador expressed Australia’s confidence in Vietnam’s leadership to realize the country’s development potential. He believed that Vietnam will enter a new era and become the new tiger of Asia.
Vietnam and Australia have upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Two-way trade in 2023 reached 13.8 billion USD, and by November 2024, it had already reached 13 billion USD, an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period in 2023. Australia chose Vietnam as one of the priority countries for its Southeast Asia Economic Strategy until 2040, focusing on investment promotion. As of August 31, 2024, Australia had 660 investment projects in Vietnam, totaling 2.05 billion USD, ranking 21st out of 149 countries and territories investing in the country.
Tung Phong
– 20:43 27/12/2024
