CANBERRA — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc met President of the Senate Scott Ryan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith in Canberra on Thursday during his visit to Australia from March 14-16.

The Australian legislators welcomed the PM, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation on their visit to Australia, describing it as an important hallmark in 2018 when the two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

They lauded the results of the talks between the two PMs, especially the signing of a joint statement on the establishment of the Việt Nam-Australia Strategic Partnership and other co-operation deals in education-training, science-technology and agriculture, saying these created breakthroughs in relations between the two countries.

“Việt Nam treasures and wants to deepen relations with Australia via all channels, including the parliamentary one,” the PM told the leaders, suggesting their bodies pay heed to pushing ties between the law-making agencies of the two countries.

The Australian leaders hailed the outcomes reached during the visit to Australia by Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân in November 2017 and said they would visit Việt Nam at the earliest possible time.

The Senate and the House of Representatives always support and assist the development of Việt Nam-Australia relations, they stressed.

Senate President Scott Ryan highlighted the role of nearly 300,000 Vietnamese-Australian people to the growth of Australia and said he would continue working to support the Vietnamese community in their integration into the local society and making wealth so they will make contributions to the country’s development and bilateral ties.

House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith, for his part, shared his admiration for the strong tourism co-operation between the two countries, citing the figure of nearly 500,000 Australians having visited Việt Nam in 2017.

PM Phúc agreed with the two leaders that education co-operation continues to be a highlight in the two countries’ co-operation as evidenced by nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students currently studying in Australia plus 60,000 Vietnamese alumni of Australian universities and colleges, and thousands of Australian students taking part in exchange programmes in Việt Nam under the New Colombo Plan.

“By accelerating education co-operation, the two countries are working together to build a foundation for their future,” he underscored.

Earlier the same day, PM Phuc visited the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), an independent agency of the Australian government responsible for scientific research in Australia, and attended an exhibition there.

The Vietnamese leader welcomed the sound partnership between the organisation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Việt Nam, noting that the two countries, with their supplementary strengths, shall collaborate to make the best use of opportunities brought by Industry 4.0. He also suggested the CSIRO continuing assisting Việt Nam to develop green, organic and high-tech agriculture. — VNS