Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s recent visit to Australia and NewZealand opened new charters in the robust development of friendship andcomprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the two Oceaniancountries, said Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le HoaiTrung.

The Vietnamese PM Dung and leaders ofboth Australia and New Zealand agreed that the Vietnam-Australia andVietnam-New Zealand comprehensive partnerships have seen positivedevelopment in all areas, Trung said in an interview with mediafollowing the Prime Minister’s visits to the countries which concludedon March 20.

“To improve the efficiency and practicality of thebilateral relations, Australia and New Zealand agreed to lift theirrelations with Vietnam to a new level towards a strategic partnership,”Trung said, emphasising that “this is an important milestone inrelations between Vietnam and the two countries, creating a politicaland legal framework for promoting cooperation in fields of strategicsignificance.”

Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand agreed toincrease the exchange of high-level delegations and boost cooperationvia all channels. Both Australian Prime Minister and Governor Generalconfirmed they will visit Vietnam soon while New Zealand’s PrimeMinister expects to visit the Southeast Asian country this September.

Australia and New Zealand appreciated Vietnam’sachievements in the renewal process as well as the country’sincreasingly significant position in the international arena. Theypraised Vietnam’s efforts in stablising macro-economy, improvingbusiness climate and global integration and expressed their optimismabout the prospects of cooperation in trade, investment and tourismcooperation in the future.

The Deputy Foreign Minister went tosay that Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand reached many specificagreements to promote cooperation in agriculture, mining industry,science and technology and human resources development, and facilitatethe access of Vietnamese agricultural products and seafood to bothcountries.

The two countries are keen onpromoting defence and security cooperation with Vietnam in teachingEnglish and improving capacity in peacekeeping missions, law enforcementat sea, submarine rescue, wartime bomb and mine clearance, and fightingtrans-national crime, hi-tech crime and terrorism, among others,according to the Deputy Foreign Minister.

Another area of strategiccooperation between Vietnam and the two countries is education, trainingand exchanges, Trung said, adding Australia and New Zealand pledged tomaintain scholarships for Vietnamese students and help Vietnam trainqualified workforce via means including higher education, generaleducation and vocational training.

New Zealandand Vietnam are also working to complete all necessary procedures to beable to open a direct flight route in 2017, the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

The three countries agreed to maintain coordination at internationaland regional forums, and provide support to each other in negotiationsand implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership( RCEP ) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The countries also agreed on the need to maintain peace and securityin Asia-Pacific and affirmed the importance of ensuring peace,stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation inthe East Sea, not using force or threatening to use force, andpeacefully settling disputes on basis of the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ).

On cooperationprospects between Vietnam and the two Oceanian countries, Trung said inaddition to positive results achieved during the visit, there are manyfactors contributing to cooperation prospects between Vietnam and thenations.

The three countries shared views on many important issues and can cooperate and support each other in various areas.

Australia and New Zealand have multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam for years and achieved positive results.-VNA