Vietnam is an important partner, a high priority in Australia's overall foreign policy.

On the morning of August 27, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines on the occasion of her official visit to Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines. (Photo: Tran Hai)

At the reception, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed and highly appreciated President of the Senate Sue Lines as the first senior Australian leader to visit Vietnam since the two countries upgraded their relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (March 2024).

The Prime Minister sent his condolences to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and once again thanked the Australian Government for its sincere sentiments towards the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, especially thanking Senate President Sue Lines for personally attending the State Funeral of the late General Secretary.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines at the Government Headquarters. (Photo: Tran Hai)

The Prime Minister expressed his delight at the strong, comprehensive and substantive development of the Vietnam-Australia relationship; emphasizing that the upgrading of the relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is the result of the efforts of both sides over more than 50 years of developing diplomatic relations; opening a new chapter in the bilateral relationship, with higher political trust, cooperation in a broader scope and level in the spirit of "6 mores" as the Prime Minister emphasized during his recent official visit to Australia.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines enter the main hall of the Government Headquarters. (Photo: Tran Hai)

Australian Senate President Sue Lines affirmed that Vietnam is an important partner, and the Australian Government and Parliament give high priority to it in the overall relationship. foreign policy of Australia in the region; emphasized that the two countries share many similarities, have high strategic trust, and the relationship between the two countries has come a long way to achieve the very good results it has today; affirmed that this is the foundation for the two countries to further promote cooperation in the coming time, meeting the needs and aspirations of the people of the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked Australia for implementing many practical and effective cooperation projects, supporting Vietnam in many areas from national defense and security, capacity building training, science and technology, innovation and climate change; and suggested that the two sides actively coordinate to concretize the high-level agreements that have been reached, continuing to deepen cooperation commensurate with the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

View of the reception. (Photo: Tran Hai)

The two leaders agreed to continue promoting dialogue, information sharing, enhancing mutual understanding and trust; deepening defense and security cooperation; promoting economic cooperation to achieve higher efficiency, including stepping up investment and trade promotion, striving to soon bring trade turnover to the target of 20 billion USD and doubling two-way investment in the next 2-3 years; implementing new areas of potential for the two countries such as green economy, digital economy, circular economy, cooperation in digital transformation, science and technology and innovation.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanks Australia continue to support Vietnam in training English for officers, and support Vietnam in participating in UN peacekeeping operations. The two leaders also agreed to increase people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between localities, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.

The President of the Australian Senate affirmed that Australia always cares about and creates favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Australia, and noted the request to facilitate visa issuance for Vietnamese citizens and international students to Australia.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the reception. (Photo: Tran Hai)

The two leaders noted that in the context of the complex and unpredictable developments in the regional and international situation, with many new security and strategic challenges arising, affecting the security and development environment of countries in the region in many ways, Vietnam and Australia need to strengthen consultation, information sharing, policy assessment and coordination, and close cooperation at regional and international forums, contributing positively to building a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region, with ASEAN playing a central role.

The President of the Australian Senate affirmed Australia's consistent stance on the East Sea issue, supporting the principled stance of Vietnam and ASEAN in ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation; resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respect for international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).