Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn (left) and Australian counterpart Penny Wong. — VNA/VNS Photo

MELBOURNE — Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn had a meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on March 5 within the framework of the ASEAN - Australia Special Summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations in Melbourne.

FM Sơn thanked the Australian official for collaboration in preparing for Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s official visit to Australia, expressing his belief that the summit will be a great success.

He expressed his satisfaction with the recent progress in bilateral relations as well as in cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

He suggested the two sides closely coordinate in implementing support packages worth nearly AUD200 million (US$130 million) for clean energy development and climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta region, which Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and FM Wong had announced during their recent visits to Việt Nam.

For her part, minister Wong thanked the Vietnamese Government as well as FM Son for their support and participation in the Summit, while highly valuing substantive activities that the two countries held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations last year.

She took the occasion to invite Sơn to visit Australia again and co-chair the 6th Vietnam-Australia foreign ministerial meeting.

The same day, FM Sơn met with Simon Birmingham, in charge of foreign affairs of the Opposition in the Senate of Australia, during which he spoke highly of Australia’s efforts in maintaining economic and social stability and measures to address global economic uncertainties.

Sơn also commended Birmingham's efforts in promoting Vietnam-Australia cooperation in his capacity overseeing foreign affairs of the opposition party, as well as his previous roles as Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Finance, and Minister for Trade and Investment during the period of the Coalition Government.

Birmingham affirmed that Australia attaches importance to its relations with Việt Nam , considering Việt Nam one of the key partners in Asia-Pacific. He stated that Australia highly values recent achievements in bilateral relations, especially in political, economic-trade-investment, defence-security cooperation, as well as in other potential areas.

He reiterated his support for the Vietnam-Australia relationship, regardless of his position, and expressed his desire to visit Vietnam again soon.

In a meeting with FM Sơn on the occasion, Nicholas Moore, Australia's Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, affirmed that Australia highly values the potential for cooperation with Vietnam, especially in terms of economics, trade, and investment, noting that Vietnam holds a significant position in the implementation of Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. – VNA/VNS