HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc had a telephone conference with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Thursday, discussing cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PM Phúc updated Morrison on the COVID-19 situation in Việt Nam and shared Việt Nam’s experiences as well as achievements fighting coronavirus.

He briefed his Australian counterpart on the strong measures taken by the Vietnamese Government to curb the spread of the disease, put the health and safety of people first and leave no one behind, be they Vietnamese or foreign citizens.

The Vietnamese government leader thanked the Australian Government for proposing technical assistance for Việt Nam to mitigate the negative effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that Việt Nam is willing to support Australia by providing medical supplies and other essential goods that Australia might need.

PM Phúc asked the Australian Government and agencies to support Vietnamese students so that they feel safe to continue their studies in Australia.

PM Morrison spoke highly of the efforts and measures taken by the Vietnamese Government to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, and noted the similarity between those measures and those implemented by the Australian government.

He affirmed the wish to increase cooperation, experience sharing and mutual support with Việt Nam, and the hope that Việt Nam would maintain the production and export of essential goods in the context of international production and trade seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian PM said the Australian Government would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to continue their study in Australia.

The two PMs agreed to make joint efforts to further deepen the trustful strategic partnership between the two countries, maintain the exchange channel at high level and at the foreign, defence and economic ministerial level through flexible forms, while persistently pursuing the goal of becoming one of the top 10 trade partners of each other.

They agreed to proactively take measures to prepare for the resumption of tourism, aviation and people-to-people exchange immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic is put under control.

PM Morrison appreciated Việt Nam’s role and initiatives as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, and pledged to continue support of and coordinate closely with Việt Nam in regional and international issues of common concern, so as to promote cooperation in countering common challenges for the sake of peace, stability in the region and the world. — VNS