In his remarks, both leaders affirmed that with cooperation achievements over the past 50 years, especially successes of the Governor-General’s visit, the bilateral relations will grow to a new height.
Thuong reviewed milestones in the Vietnam-Australia relationship, saying it has never been as strong and fruitful as it is now.
He appreciated Australia’s official development assistance to Vietnam, which, he said, has significantly contributed to the national socio-economic development and improving Vietnamese’s living standards.
The President took the example of Cao Lanh and My Thuan bridges, and called them symbols of the Vietnam-Australia friendship.
The two sides have also established many cooperation agreements between their localities, he said, adding that more than 80,000 Vietnamese students have received training in Australia, and hundreds of thousands of Australians visit Vietnam each year. The figures speak out about exchanges between people of the two countries.
Vietnam, as an active and responsible member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community, has worked together with Australia in many regional and international issues, and to consolidate mutual trust and common perceptions on values of peace, stability, cooperation and respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and rule of law, he continued.
Speaking at the event, Hurley affirmed that Australia is proud to have a close, reliable friend and partner like Vietnam, and the two countries are joining hands in concretising their joint vision in Indo-Pacific - a region of stability and prosperity, where sovereignty and international law are respected.
He rejoiced at the tight, effective bilateral cooperation in many fields such as economy, politics, security, climate change response, education and national defence. He also highlighted new air routes between the two countries, including one expected to be launched by Vietnam’s Vietjet this month.
Hurley expressed his delight at bilateral cultural links, with more than 300,000 Vietnamese living and working in Australia, and the Vietnamese language being the 4th most commonly spoken in the country.
Australia wishes to cooperate with Vietnam in realising the Southeast Asian nation’s development goals, he noted./.
