Dr. Gabriel M. Astarloa, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Austral University, presented an overview of the institution and its training and research activities. Founded in 1991, Austral University boasts a wide academic offering, including areas such as Law, Political Science, International Relations, public policy, and management. It offers undergraduate and graduate programmes and develops various international cooperation and exchange initiatives.
Astarloa noted that the university is interested in strengthening its ties with educational and research institutions in Vietnam, expanding exchanges of professors, students, and academics, as well as developing joint research projects.
For her part, Nguyet affirmed that Argentina is increasingly becoming an important partner of Vietnam in Latin America. She stressed that for over half a century, bilateral friendship and cooperation have thrived across various fields, ranging from politics and diplomacy to economy, trade, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.
She noted that in recent years, bilateral economic and trade ties have recorded positive progress, and she expressed the desire to further boost educational and academic collaboration.
The diplomat also introduced the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, which specialises in training and research in international relations and political science, and policy advisory, proposing to foster bilateral ties with Austral University in areas of mutual interest.
Dr. Luciano Damián Bolinaga, Director of the Centre for Asian Studies at Austral University, believed there is great potential to build a partnership between universities and research facilities of both nations, in which the Vietnamese Embassy can play a bridging role.
Bolinaga underscored the need to deepen mutual understanding of both countries' culture and history, and enhance the training of Argentine officials and businesspeople to facilitate intercultural dialogue and cooperation with their Vietnamese peers. He also suggested facilitating the exchange of professors, researchers, and students, and facilitating opportunities for Argentine academics to travel to Vietnam to witness firsthand the country's development and modernisation process.
In turn, Dr. Alfonso Santiago, Director of the School of Politics, Government, and International Relations at Austral University, expressed his profound impression of Vietnam following his visit to Ho Chi Minh City last January, especially regarding the kindness and hospitality of its people, its cultural richness, and the country's economic potential.
Santiago praised Vietnam's resilience and capacity for transformation, affirming that the university wishes to contribute to strengthening ties between Vietnam and Argentina. He said that the topics discussed during the meeting with Ambassador Nguyet could materialise in the coming months, helping deepen cooperation between the university and its Vietnamese partners.
On another note, Dr. Juan de Dios Cincunegui, Deputy Director of the International Center for Parliamentary Studies, Research and Foresight (CIDEIPP) at Austral University, spotlighted the cooperation between the parliamentary friendship groups of Vietnam and Argentina, as well as the coordination between both countries within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
He noted that parliamentary diplomacy plays a vital role in strengthening mutual understanding, opening new channels of dialogue, and pushing bilateral cooperation in various fields.
During the meeting, the Vietnamese Embassy also presented a video showcasing the country's main achievements in economic development, trade expansion, and international integration, providing participants with a broader view of Vietnam's renewal and development process, and its growing role on the international stage as well./.
