President Vo Van Thuong receives Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

On the afternoon of June 4, at the Presidential Palace,President Vo Van Thuong received Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from June 3-4.

President Vo Van Thuong received Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from June 3-4. (Source: VNA)

President Vo Van Thuong welcomed Mr. Anthony Albanese's first official visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister; emphasizing that along with the visit to Vietnam in April 2023 by Australian Governor-General David Hurley, this visit by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has contributed to creating new momentum for the Strategic Partnership in the context of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1973-2023). The President appreciated that Australia has always provided Vietnam with a stable source of ODA and has actively supported Vietnam in preventing and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic through timely support of vaccines in large quantities. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his pleasure to meet President Vo Van Thuong again soon after the meeting in May 2023 on the occasion of attending the coronation ceremony of the British King; expressed his impression of Vietnam's changes after each return visit; affirmed that Vietnam is always Australia's top priority partner in the region and wishes to continuously develop cooperative relations with Vietnam; said that Vietnam will have a priority position in the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 that Australia is building. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the strong development of the bilateral relationship after 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations, bringing practical benefits to the people of the two countries and actively contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world; agreed to further strengthen political trust between the two countries, considering this an important foundation for developing the bilateral relationship to new heights in the coming time. The two sides were pleased with the outstanding achievements in various fields, especially in politics - foreign affairs, security - defense, economics - trade - investment, education and training, culture, tourism, sports, labor, science and technology, people-to-people exchange, local cooperation, etc. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was pleased to announce that Australia has just decided to support 105 million AUD for Vietnam to promote cooperation in the field of climate change response and energy transition; RMIT University will increase its investment in Vietnam to 250 million AUD; Western Sydney University will provide scholarships to Vietnamese and regional students. Prime Minister Albanese also welcomed the fact that Vietnamese airlines Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have just opened more direct flights to major cities in Australia, contributing to promoting economic and tourism cooperation and increasing exchange activities between the two peoples.

President Vo Van Thuong, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and delegates pose for a group photo. (Source: VNA)

The President highly appreciated the meaningful activities of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his visit, including exchanges with the two women's football teams and enjoying Vietnamese cuisine using ingredients imported from Australia. On this occasion, the President asked Australia to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Australia to maintain the Vietnamese language, traditions and culture, and for Vietnamese students to access visa procedures and study abroad conveniently; open more branches of major universities in Vietnam; promptly implement the revised Memorandum of Understanding on the Agricultural Labor Program; said that Vietnam is ready to provide highly skilled workers in the industrial, agricultural and service sectors to Australia and encourage Australian citizens to participate in the Working Holiday Program in Vietnam. Discussing regional and international issues, the two sides agreed to continue supporting each other and cooperating closely at regional and international forums, especially the United Nations, APEC, ASEAN and ASEAN-led mechanisms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed Australia's stance on supporting the rule of international law in the region and resolving disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, especially UNCLOS 1982.

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