Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam received Australian Ambassador Craig Chittick in Hanoi on July 3, congratulating the outgoing diplomat on having excellently fulfilled ꦬhis tasks in Vietnam.

The Deputy PM said the ambassador has greatly contributed to Vietnam-Australia relations, noting that the Friendship Order presented to him is the Vietnamese State and Government’s highest recognition of these contributions. Dam expressed his delight at the development of bilateral ties in multiple aspects, including trade, defence-security and education. From 2016 to 2018, their trade increased by 17 percent annually on average. Some agricultural products of Vietnam’s strength like lychee, mango and dragon fruit have entered the Australian market, which is a good sign for other farm produce, he noted. In the time ahead, the two sides need to continue carrying out practical measures to facilitate bilateral trade and investment. They should also work together to make use of the multilateral agreements to which both are parties, especially the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), he added. The official also highlighted the increasingly effective cooperation in defence-security, adding that Australia has actively helped Vietnam train and transport officers to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Appreciating Australia’s official development assistance for Vietnam, Deputy PM Dam asked the Australian Government to pay more attention to the country’s key areas such as infrastructure, poverty reduction, climate change response, and competitiveness improvement. In terms of collaboration in education and science-technology, he asked Australia to increase assisting Vietnam in human resources training, innovation programmes and scientific-technological research. The official also called for stronger ties between localities, people-to-people exchange, and cooperation in culture, tourism and sports, thus creating a solid foundation for enhancing all-round partnerships at all levels. For his part, Ambassador Chittick said there are many factors bringing Vietnam and Australia closer to each other, including similarities and the two peoples’ sentiment. He also noted that his country has assisted Vietnam in many fields over the past years, thereby developing bilateral relations in a fast and sustainable manner. The diplomat affirmed that on whatever positions he will hold, he will keep contributing to the two countries’ strategic partnership.-VNA