Australian Ambassador to Việt Nam Andrew Goledzinowski. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Phương

HÀ NỘI — On the opening days of 2024, Vietnam News Agency conducted an interview with Australian Ambassador to Việt Nam Andrew Goledzinowski on the opportunities and potential to advance bilateral cooperation in fields of the countries’ respective strengths.

Ambassador Goledzinowski also shared his views on Việt Nam’s diplomatic achievements over the past year, saying that 2023 was a “big year” for the country.

“It’s been particularly because on the 50th anniversary of [Việt Nam - Australia's diplomatic relations], there has been a huge number of visitors to Việt Nam, which also reflects the importance of Việt Nam. Việt Nam is emerging as one of the most important countries in Asia and in the world,” he noted.

The Ambassador cited visits by high-ranking Australian officials to Việt Nam last year, including the Governor-General, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Trade Minister, and Defence Minister.

“We also know that Việt Nam elevated its bilateral relationship with some very important countries, South Korea, Japan and the United States, which I think was an important statement of Việt Nam’s perspective on the world,” said the Ambassador.

He went to mention the visit by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Việt Nam, saying that China will always be an important country for Việt Nam due to economic, cultural, historical, and geographical reasons.

He spoke highly of Việt Nam’s foreign policy of diversifying its relationships and building resilience in the national interest. The Ambassador also expressed optimism about the prospects for Việt Nam-Australia diplomatic ties to be elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024.

According to Ambassador Goledzinowski, one year after the two countries forged bilateral relations in 1973, the first Vietnamese students came to Australia on scholarships, and Australia became one of the earliest investors in Việt Nam.

“We built the first bridges over the Mekong, the first university was RMIT, the first law firm, the first bank, the first ATMs, the first telecommunications links were put in place by Australian companies. So that was really good. We’re looking forward to strengthening our investment profile here even more,” the Ambassador said.

He also revealed that the embassy will recruit five new staff members in HCM City and two new staff members in Hà Nội with the specific aim of increasing Australian investment in Việt Nam.

“That’s new and it’s very important. And there are a few areas where we particularly want to focus,” he continued.

“I’m speaking with the education minister about making some adjustments to ensure that Việt Nam is an attractive place for education investment. Because I would like to see more Australian universities come to Việt Nam to establish themselves,” the Ambassador added.

Ambassador Goledzinowski told VNA about two more potential fields of cooperation – mining and telecommunications.

The Australian side has been working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to share its knowledge and support Việt Nam in reviewing its mining law, as mining is a major industry in Australia and boasts “incredible potential for wealth to be created” in Việt Nam. Australia also expects to help Việt Nam in building “trusted cables that connect Việt Nam to the world,” he said.

Another pillar of cooperation in bilateral ties he mentioned was “green energy transition”, a field that has been increasingly intensified between Australia and Việt Nam in recent times.

“When my Prime Minister was here in Việt Nam in June, he announced a new partnership worth AUD105 million, which we’re calling ‘Aus for growth’. But it will largely be around the green energy transition to assist in Việt Nam’s efforts to make sure that your supply chains go green, because that’s what will be necessary to trade in the future economy,” said Ambassador Goledzinowski.

He also cited the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s trip to Việt Nam in August, where she announced AUD95 million for climate change adaptation and particularly for the Mekong Delta region.

“I was down there a week or two ago and the Mekong faces very particular challenges. And so we hope that that project will help ease the transition to sustainable economic models in the Mekong area,” the Ambassador said.

According to him, Australian companies are interested in working with Việt Nam in this field. Specifically, he mentioned one Australian company that is “very keen to build offshore wind farms” because “Việt Nam is very prospective for offshore wind in particular.”

“There’s a lot that’s going on, and Australia will be playing a small but we hope an important role in Việt Nam transition,” the Ambassador affirmed. — VNS