Australia Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (Source: VNA) Sydney (VNA) –Australia Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will pay a visit to Vietnam from May26-28 to open the Cao Lanh Bridge with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc and co-chair the inaugural Australia-Vietnam Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The minister said in amedia release on May 26 that Australia has co-financed the design andconstruction of the Cao Lanh Bridge as part of a major new transport projectthat will help connect 18 million people in the Mekong Delta with regionalmarkets and drive economic growth.
Australia’s 160 million AUD (over 121 million USD)investment in the project is one of the country’s largest aid activities inSoutheast Asia.
The Cao Lanh Bridge is a visible symbol ofthe depth of the Australia-Vietnam relationship, now formalised as a StrategicPartnership, and demonstrates Australia’s commitment to build closer linkagesacross the Indo-Pacific region, to bring people together and encourage greatertrade and investment, she noted.
Meanwhile, the inaugural Foreign Ministers’Meeting is a direct outcome of the new Strategic Partnership between Australiaand Vietnam, signed by Prime Ministers Turnbull and Phuc prior to theASEAN-Australia Special Summit in March.
Australia and Vietnam are celebrating 45years of diplomatic relations this year, she said, noting that strong communityand personal ties are the basis of the relationship, marked by 300,000 membersof the Vietnamese community in Australia - one of the largest migrantcommunities in the country.
Julie Bishop said she looks forward todiscussing with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh howAustralia and Vietnam can expand their collaboration, particularly on importantregional issues relating to stability, security and prosperity.
Cao Lanh bridge in the Mekong Delta province ofDong Thap, spanning over the Tien River and linking Cao Lanh city and Lap Vo district,is located about 0.8 kilometre from Cao Lanh ferry and about 35 kilometres fromMy Thuan bridge, which connects Tien Giang and Vinh Long provinces.
The 2,000-metre long bridge is expected to makesignificant contributions to improving road traffic network, boosting socialand economic development and consolidating defence and security in the MekongDelta region, which is not only a rice granary and the third largest industrialcentre in Vietnam but also one of the most productive agricultural andaquaculture areas in the world.-VNA
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