Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the occasion of attending the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related conferences in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo: Anh Son)

On September 7, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the occasion of attending the 43rd ASEAN Summit and related conferences in Jakarta, Indonesia.

At the meeting, the two Prime Ministers assessed that the bilateral cooperation has developed effectively and substantially; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's official visit to Vietnam in June 2023 marks an important milestone for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic relations; and agreed that the development of bilateral relations has positive implications for peace, stability and cooperation in the region.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed that Australia attaches great importance to strengthening relations with Vietnam; wishes to soon welcome General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Australia; and suggested that the two sides complete exchanges and internal procedures to soon announce the upgrading of bilateral relations with Vietnam to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at the appropriate time.

The Prime Minister pledged that Australia will always prioritize ODA support for Vietnam, especially in areas where Vietnam is in need such as climate change adaptation, energy transition, digital transformation, digital economy, etc.; at the same time, he positively acknowledged the Prime Minister's proposal to strengthen cooperation in labor, education and training, and provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students, etc.

The two Prime Ministers agreed to continue to closely coordinate and actively contribute to promoting dialogue, cooperation and trust building through ASEAN-led mechanisms, on the basis of respecting ASEAN's central role and consulting with ASEAN, contributing to ensuring peace, stability and development in the region and the world, while continuing to support ASEAN's efforts to promote narrowing the development gap and supporting less developed regions, including the Mekong sub-region; affirming that the two countries will coordinate with Laos to successfully organize the Conference on Climate Change and Energy Transition in Hanoi later this year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to visit Australia and attend the ASEAN-Australia Commemorative Summit in March 2024; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh happily accepted the invitation.