Hanoi (VNA) - The Australian Government continues to give high priority toVietnam in its foreign policy, considering the Southeast Asian country one of its key partnersin the Indo-Pacific region, and hopes to soon advance the bilateral relationship to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, said a senior diplomat.

Theremarks were made by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs MarisePayne during the second Vietnam-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, co-chairedby herself and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh onNovember 5.

During the online meeting, the two officials agreed to discuss suitablemeasures and mechanisms in order to resume flights between the two countrieswhen possible.

They also consented to enhance bilateral cooperation and mutual support at regionaland international mechanisms and forums such as the UN, ASEAN/EAS, and theMekong Sub-region.

Minh appreciated Australia’s commitments to supporting and cooperatingwith Vietnam in all fields, including natural disaster response and the pandemicfight, while enhancing economic ties and development cooperation.

He also welcomed the country’s plan to establish the Australia-Vietnamcentre in the Southeast Asian nation as well as its assistance in helping Vietnam to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.

Minh suggested the two foreign ministries maintain the pace of cooperationthrough all-level meetings and the implementation of cooperation mechanismsbetween the two countries and the ministries in particular.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides shared the same view on thesignificance of strengthening cooperation, maintaining peace, stability,security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, and peacefullysettling disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Payne congratulated Vietnam on its success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic andmaintaining socio-economic development, and conveyed the AustralianGovernment’s sympathies over the losses caused by the prolonged floods in the centralregion.

Australia always stands side-by-side with Vietnam and is ready to assistthe country in addressing the consequences of natural disasters and to step up cooperationin the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, she stressed.

Payne agreed with Minh’s proposal to boost partnerships in major areas torecover the economies in the post-pandemic period, saying that Australia will providetechnical support to Vietnam in agriculture and market access.

Australia will also encourage its businesses to increase investment inVietnam in areas of mutual concern, such as telecommunications, infrastructure,agriculture, high-technology, finance-banking, and mining and energy, alongwith increasing its official development assistance (ODA) to the country, the minister said.

Congratulating Vietnam on its achievements in its capacity as ASEANChair 2020, Payne pledged that Australia will actively participate and closelycoordinate with Vietnam to ensure the success of the East Asia Summit (EAS),the ASEAN-Australia Summit, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) Summit.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides inked an action programme on implementing the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership for 2020-2023.

The foreign ministers’ meeting is a new mechanism established after the twocountries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership in March 2018during a visit to Australia by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc./.