Sydney (VNA) – The appointment of Vietnam's first Ambassador to the Cook Islands demonstrates a growing interest in fostering cooperation with the island nation and the broader South Pacific region, said Tom Marsters, Representative of King Charles III in the Cook Islands.
During a reception in Avarua on May 8 for Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung who was presenting his credentials, Marsters expressed his hope for the development of friendship, and equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two nations, striving for a world order based on the rule of law and collaborative efforts to combat climate change, manage and exploit marine resources sustainably.
While in the Cook Islands, Trung met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration and the Minister of Marine Resources, held working sessions with several ministries and agencies, and engaged with several firms and diplomatic corps. Their discussions focused on avenues to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two countries.
During meetings, he reiterated Vietnam's commitment to fostering friendly, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with the Cook Islands and other Pacific island nations in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
He expected both sides to continue exploring the potential of collaboration in fisheries, trade, research, conservation and sustainable development of marine and ocean resources. He mentioned measures to raise mutual understanding via people-to-people exchanges, contributing to the development of tourism industry, which is a strength of both nations.
The Cook Islands, with a total land area of just 266.7 sq.km, comprises 15 main islands scattered across a vast ocean territory of over 2.2 million sq.km./.
