Vietnam and Australia strengthen cooperation in a changing world

On the morning of August 22, in Hanoi, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics in collaboration with the Australian Embassy organized a scientific forum with the theme "50 years of Vietnam - Australia relations: Regional cooperation in a changing world".

Professor - Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council and Senator Penny Wong, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the opening ceremony.

More than 600 delegates including policy makers, leaders, representatives of ministries, branches, and leading experts in many fields attended.

In his opening speech, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang emphasized that strengthening regional cooperation is an effective way for countries to adapt to a rapidly changing world with many uncertainties, instabilities, mutations and unpredictable risks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 6.9 million people worldwide. Humanity has experienced great losses, a disaster that only happens once every 100 years, to further understand that each person cannot live in safety when those around them are still facing risks and dangers.

According to Professor - Doctor Nguyen Xuan Thang, regional cooperation is an adaptive and smart choice of countries, especially when facing many obstacles in the globalization process, geopolitical and economic barriers and unpredictable risks and disruptions.

In such a turbulent world, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics affirmed that looking back 50 years, especially in the past 15 years, the Vietnam - Australia relationship has achieved great strides: from a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 to an Enhanced Comprehensive Partnership in 2015 and upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2018.

Vietnam and Australia have achieved increasingly comprehensive, profound and effective cooperation in many important areas. Although Vietnam and Australia are geographically far apart, deep political trust and increased exchanges have become a bridge to shorten the geographical distance between the two countries, making the Vietnam - Australia relationship truly become a regional neighborly relationship, close and strong.

Professor - Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang said that the Forum is an opportunity for delegates from the two countries to discuss, analyze and find answers to issues of regional cooperation, while continuing to maintain, expand and strengthen the Vietnam - Australia relationship in the coming time, raising the level of multilateral diplomacy of the two countries, actively contributing to peace, prosperity and development of the Southeast Asia, East Asia, Asia - Pacific - Indian Ocean regions.

Speaking at the forum, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the cooperative relationship between Australia and Vietnam has been built very strongly over the past 50 years. Currently, the two countries stand side by side as friends based on strategic trust and always have a deep sense of constantly strengthening the Strategic Partnership, aiming to elevate it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Minister Penny Wong emphasized that both countries want peace in the region and the world. To achieve that goal, the two countries need to have political trust and a development cooperation strategy in the spirit of equality and mutual respect based on international standards, laws, and cooperation mechanisms. Australia wants to cooperate with Vietnam to address challenges that the two countries cannot solve alone, including climate change adaptation and energy transition.

On that basis, the Australian Foreign Minister announced a new support package worth AU$94.5 million for climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta region, period 2023-2034.

The Minister stressed that this is an example showing that Australia and Vietnam are working together to address common challenges in climate change and energy transition.

On this occasion, the Australian Foreign Minister highly appreciated the activities of the Vietnam-Australia Center, a key pillar in Australia's development partnership with Vietnam. The Center brings together Australian and Vietnamese experts to support capacity building of Vietnam's future leadership and management team to address national, regional and international challenges.

Following the opening session, delegates attended a high-level discussion and roundtable discussion. The discussions focused on an increasingly interconnected world, where regional cooperation is more important than ever in the face of shared opportunities and challenges; global megatrends; innovation in public governance; regional stability and prosperity; sustainable development and energy transition.

According to VNA/Vietnam+

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