Vietnam-Australia relations are close before the 50-year mark of relations | Politics

On September 12, the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia solemnly celebrated the 77th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day at the Hyatt Hotel, in the heart of Canberra.

Attending the celebration on the Vietnamese side were Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his wife, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh and his wife, Vietnamese Consul Generals in Sydney and Perth, officials Vietnamese embassy and Vietnamese representative agencies in Australia, and a large number of Vietnamese community members in Canberra and many Australian localities.

The celebration was also attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, many high-ranking officials in parliament, the federal government and heads of representative missions from other countries. Friends, close friends with Vietnam based in Canberra, and many Australian scholars interested in Vietnam.

Speaking at the ceremony, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said that despite many difficulties, Vietnam has so far effectively controlled the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained a strong economic recovery momentum. strong.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow 7.5% this year, while the inflation rate is kept low. Foreign investment in the first 7 months of 2022 increased sharply.

Regarding foreign policy, Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that Vietnam has effectively deployed a network of 30 strategic and comprehensive partners, including all major powers.

Vietnam is a member of all major new-generation free trade agreements (FTAs), including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Free Trade Agreement. Europe-Vietnam (EVFTA). At the same time, Vietnam is an active and responsible member of many regional and international organizations.

Minister Bui Thanh Son stated that on every step of this journey, Vietnam always receives enthusiastic and valuable support and help from partners and friends, including Australia, one of the Western countries. The West first established diplomatic relations with Vietnam after the Paris Agreement in 1973.

Since then, the relationship between the two countries has been strengthened by increasing strategic trust, sharing interests in an international order based on international law, free from coercion, and growing economic relations. develop and strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

The two countries have become Strategic Partners since 2018 and are both eager to elevate their bilateral relations to a new height.

Bilateral trade turnover is now continuously reaching unprecedented highs, over AUD 18 billion in 2021 and AUD 14 billion in the first 7 months of 2022, respectively.

This makes Australia the 7th largest trading partner of Vietnam and Vietnam the 10th largest trading partner of Australia.

Multilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Australia, especially at the United Nations, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Mekong… continue to be enhanced.

The two countries have good coordination in joint efforts to address global issues such as responding to climate change, preventing natural disasters, ensuring stable supply chains and contributing to peacekeeping operations. .

On this occasion, on behalf of the Government of Vietnam, Ambassador Bui Thanh Son sincerely thanked the Government and people of Australia for timely supporting 22.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to help Vietnam effectively cope with the pandemic. response to the pandemic, and consider it another important gesture to show the friendship of the two countries and deepen the bilateral relationship.

Minister Bui Thanh Son expressed his belief that Vietnam and Australia are increasingly connected as the two countries exploit their great potentials in investment, labor, cooperation in climate change and the transition to a digital economy. digital and other fields for the benefit of the two peoples, and for a peaceful, prosperous and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

For his part, Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts affirmed that over the past 50 years, Australia and Vietnam have built a relationship based on peace, prosperity and understanding and this relationship continues to be strengthened. and growing continuously.

According to Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts, both Australia and Vietnam are well aware that there are excellent opportunities to further deepen the relationship between the two countries across existing and new areas of cooperation, such as such as addressing the challenges of climate change and supporting the transition to cheaper, cleaner forms of energy.

Australia congratulates Vietnam on its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 and pledges its willingness to work with Vietnam to support this energy transition.

At the end of his speech, Mr. Tim Watts once again congratulated Vietnam on the 77th National Day and expressed his desire to cooperate to further tighten the bilateral relationship in the future.

Also on September 12, on the occasion of his official visit to Australia and co-chairing the Vietnam-Australia Foreign Ministers Meeting, Minister Bui Thanh Son led a delegation to visit the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra.

Attending were the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and representatives of the Vietnamese agency beside the Embassy.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the activities of the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and said that these activities have contributed significantly to cultivating the friendship and cooperation relationship between the two countries.

Despite difficulties due to the epidemic, the relationship between Vietnam and Australia has continued to develop positively since the establishment of the relationship. Strategic partnership in 2018.

The Minister suggested that the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia continue to further promote relations Vietnam-Australiaincluding the exchange of delegations at all levels between the two sides, towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in early 2023.