Australian Foreign Minister begins Vietnam visit

VOV.VN - Foreign Minister Penny Wong began a two-day visit to Vietnam on June 26 in an effort to further promote the dynamic partnership between the two countries.

During her stay, Wong is scheduled to meet with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and her counterpart Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

The visit takes place ahead of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia next year.

“Our discussions will focus on climate change cooperation, our shared trade and investment ambitions and Australia's continued support for Vietnam's COVID-19 recovery,” she told local media outlets prior to her departure.

According to the Australian diplomat, Australia and Vietnam have a dynamic partnership underpinned by strong business and community links, and she will meet Vietnamese leaders to discuss ways to deepen this partnership.

“It's important we work closely together to capitalise on shared economic opportunities, strengthen regional security, and address climate change,” she said.

Australia and Vietnam also share ambitious goals to advance their bilateral trade and investment ties. They both are working closely in the recovery process from the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia has provided more than 22 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam - the largest amount of vaccine that it has delivered to partner countries.

Wong affirmed that the strength of the relationship between the two countries is based on family and community links. Currently, Australia has more than 300,000 Vietnamese Australians, while Vietnamese is the fifth most commonly spoken language in Australian homes.

After Vietnam Wong will travel to Malaysia.

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