National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn meet in Hà Nội on Wednesday as part of the latter's official visit to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn met with Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn in Hà Nội on Wednesday, during which he proposed Australia continue to accompany and support Việt Nam in its new development stage, and expand cooperation in priority areas such as green economy, digital economy, science and technology, innovation, and renewable energy. 

The NA Chairman called on Australia to increase its aid budget, expand government scholarship programmes for Vietnamese students, and provide training and capacity building for Vietnamese officials and public servants.

The top legislator suggested enhancing people-to-people exchanges and expanding cooperation in tourism, labour, education and training, and culture. In particular, he urged Australia to expand the grant of visas for Vietnamese citizens studying, working, and living in Australia, who contribute to the host country’s development and serve as a bridge for the bilateral ties.

Regarding parliamentary cooperation, Chairman Mẫn called for enhanced delegation exchanges, high-level contacts, and closer collaboration between the two legislatures.

He emphasised strengthening ties between committees of the two parliaments, friendship groups, women and young parliamentarians, not only on legislation and institutions but also in monitoring the implementation of bilateral agreements and addressing global issues such as digital transformation, green growth, and climate change.

The two sides should also continue to support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), he said.

The NA Chairman stressed that Governor-General Mostyn’s visit marks an important milestone that will add momentum to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, helping it grow intensively and more substantively.

On behalf of the NA and people of Việt Nam, he congratulated Australia on successfully holding its 48th parliamentary election and extended greetings to the re-elected Speakers of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Chairman Mẫn applauded Australia’s achievements in national development, social welfare, and implementation of international commitments, particularly its new policies on minimum wage increases (3.5 per cent), support for citizens’ living costs, and student debt relief.

He reaffirmed Việt Nam’s consistent policy of treasuring and promoting its friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia, appreciating bilateral cooperation achievements, especially in legislative cooperation.

He urged both sides to continue strengthening political trust by increasing delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, particularly between the two parliaments, while maintaining the effective content of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The NA Chairman welcomed the positive growth in two-way trade, which reached US$14 billion in 2024, and expressed his belief that the two sides will soon realise their target of $20 billion in trade and doubling two-way investment within the next two to three years.

For her part, Governor-General Mostyn affirmed that Australia continues to be a reliable partner of Việt Nam, highlighting that the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reflects strong political trust between the two nations. She underscored Australia’s commitment to further strengthen cooperation with Việt Nam, including legislative ties.

The Governor-General acknowledged the significant contributions of the Vietnamese community to Australia’s socio-economic development and bilateral ties.

She highlighted Australia’s ongoing support for Việt Nam in human resource training and development, continued provision of ODA (official development assistance), and financial and technical assistance to help Việt Nam achieve its growth objectives.

She also welcomed the effective collaboration in education and training, noting that Australia has offered over 70 scholarship programmes to Vietnamese students.

Governor-General Mostyn emphasised advancing trade and investment cooperation, promoting gender equality, particularly women’s empowerment, and strengthening joint efforts on climate change, with a focus on the Mekong Delta region. — VNA/VNS