Vietnam and Australia have agreed on measures to promote the efficiency of their bilateral partnership, especially in prioritised areas like politics, defence, security, economy, investment, trade, agriculture and education-training, among others.

During talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbot on March 18 as part of the Vietnamese government leader’s ongoing official visit, both sides concurred to assign their foreign ministries to complete and formalise a joint action programme for 2015-17.

Reviewing progress of the bilateral ties in recent years, the PMs pledged to increase the exchange of high-level delegations and maintain meetings between the two countries’ leaders and officials while optimising the existing collaboration mechanisms.

Both sides noted that the bilateral economic partnership has been growing rapidly; Australia is now the eighth largest partner of Vietnam with trade reaching nearly 6 billion USD in 2014.

Australia considers Vietnam a potential market and is keen on increasing investment to and fostering stable affiliation with the country in energy, telecommunication, and technology transfer.

Host and guest vowed to create favourable conditions for export collaboration in agricultural and aquatic products by enhancing cooperation in animal and flora quarantine.

At the same time, both sides committed to back businesses to invest in the strengths of the two nations, including services, agriculture, breeding, processing, mining and education-training.

The two PMs agreed to foster bilateral defence-security partnerships, while promoting the efficiency of coordination in development, culture and tourism.

They also discussed a wide-range of regional and international issues of mutual concern, pledging to work closely at regional and international forums, including the ASEAN-Australia cooperation, the East Asia Summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the United Nations.

They plan to boost mutual support in negotiations and implementations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Trans-Pacific Partnership.

They highlighted the significance of maintaining peace and stability as well as maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea together with the settlement of disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

They called for full observation of the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea as well as for restraint from using force or conducting any activities that escalate tension in the region, including the constraint or use of violence to unilaterally change the status quo in the region.

It is urgent to build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea, they stressed.

The two sides issued a joint statement on lifting Vietnam-Australia relations to the next level and a declaration on strengthening their bilateral comprehensive partnership and four other cooperation documents on unexploded ordnance removal, peacekeeping, a new working holiday maker visa arrangement and preventing human trafficking.

The same day, PM Dung and PM Abbott met with the media to inform them on the outcomes of their meeting.

PM Abbott stated that Australia and Vietnam share a common interest in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Both countries value the regional peace and will work closely to eliminate any threats to the stability, he said, adding that both sides support maritime and aviation freedom in the East Sea.

Australia and Vietnam reject any unilateral moves changing the status quo, he stated, adding that disputes should be settled through international law.

PM Abbot also reiterated his statements in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing that Asian countries should join together and work for the long-term interest and maintenance of peace and stability in the region.-VNA