PRIME MINISTER:
Prime Minister Phuc, today is a historic day. As new strategic partners, Australia and Vietnam have agreed to work together to realise a vision, our shared vision of a secure, open and prosperous region.
As the Prime Minister and I discussed earlier in our meeting with our ministers and I welcome the Australian ministers, Minister Cash, Minister Bishop, Minister Andrews and of course all of your ministers. We have had a very good discussion about the broad and deep cooperation, which covers areas from defence to development.
We have just witnessed the signing of memoranda covering agricultural cooperation, innovation, science and technology, vocational education, and skills.
These are areas of great strength in our partnership and we will work to advance our cooperation in these fields; just as we work to boost trade and investment and all of the other ties that bring Australia and Vietnam closer together all the time.
Our strategic partnership, which we have just signed, brings great benefit for our two countries and peoples.
We’ve talked today about the threat posed by North Korea, and the importance of working together with the global community to confront this threat posed by the dangerous and provocative conduct of the North Korean regime.
We talked about our mutual commitment to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP-11, and I want to commend you again Prime Minister for the leadership you and your whole team in Vietnam have shown on this. We look forward to working together with Vietnam and the other members of the TPP-11 on its implementation.
We talked about our extensive people to people links, 300,000 Australians of Vietnamese ancestry and the extraordinary warmth that this brings to our relationship.
I acknowledge that this visit that you are making, Prime Minister, is taking place on the eve of the Australia-ASEAN Special Summit. And I thank you Prime Minister in advance for what I know will be an outstanding contribution to our deliberations.
So whether it is through our membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, our cooperation in ASEAN forums, or today’s bilateral announcement, Australia and Vietnam will work together to advance our common prosperity and security.
We have enjoyed diplomatic relations for 45 years, strong community ties and now we are strategic partners.
Today is an auspicious day and we have a bright future together.
[ENDS]