General Secretary and President To Lam met with the Chairman of the Australian Senate and the Chairman of the Australian House of Representatives, proposing to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy, education, technology and investment between the two countries.
According to a VNA special correspondent, within the framework of the state visit to Australia, at noon on August 11 (local time), at the Australian Parliament House, General Secretary and President To Lam met with Senate President Sue Lines and House Speaker Milton Dick.
At the meeting, Senate President Sue Lines and House Speaker Milton Dick warmly welcomed General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation on a state visit to Australia and affirmed that the visit will contribute to further tightening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries in all fields, especially parliamentary relations and people-to-people exchanges.
Leaders of the Australian Parliament highly appreciated Vietnam's development achievements and expressed their impression of the dynamism and creativity of the country and people of Vietnam, especially young people, and said that the energy and will to rise up show high determination and aspiration to bring the country to a strong development.
General Secretary and President To Lam conveyed the greetings of Politburo Member, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to the Chairman of the Australian Senate and House of Representatives; highly appreciated the role of the Australian Senate and House of Representatives in promoting important policies on economic development, energy transition, future industries, defense - security and social security; and acknowledged the positive contributions of both houses of Australia to deepening relations with Vietnam.
General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that Vietnam-Australia relations are developing strongly on the basis of trust, benefit sharing and a common vision for a region of peace, stability, cooperation and development.
In the context of many international and regional changes, strengthening the partnership between the two countries is even more important, not only serving the practical interests of the people of the two countries but also contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
In that spirit, General Secretary and President To Lam requested the legislative bodies of the two countries to continue to promote their bridging role, maintain exchanges at all levels, strengthen exchanges between Committees, Friendship Parliamentary Groups, female parliamentarians, young parliamentarians and local parliamentarians; thereby strengthening political trust, sharing legislative and governance experiences, contributing to bringing high-level agreements into practice.
General Secretary and President To Lam shared that Vietnam has established a new development model based on productivity, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, high-quality human resources and modern management.
General Secretary and President To Lam requested the Australian Senate and House of Representatives to accompany in perfecting institutions, administrative reform, building a digital government and creating a favorable legal environment for businesses, investment and new growth drivers.
The two sides also need to expand cooperation in education, research, vocational training, recognition of degrees and sharing experiences in applying artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology in parliamentary activities, thereby improving the quality of legislation, supervision and governance efficiency.
The two sides agreed that education and training is a pillar of cooperation and it is necessary to further promote cooperation between universities. Leaders of the Australian Parliament thanked Vietnam for creating conditions for RMIT University to continue expanding its operations in Vietnam.
The Chairman of the Senate and the Chairman of the House of Representatives of Australia said that Vietnam and Australia have many similar interests and priorities, especially in promoting sustainable growth, digital transformation, green transformation, education, science and technology and strengthening adaptability to new challenges.
The two sides emphasized the great potential for the legislative bodies of the two countries to make more practical contributions to deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.
Leaders of the Australian Senate and House of Representatives highly appreciated and thanked General Secretary and President To Lam for his proposals to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy, and affirmed their willingness to promote exchanges between agencies of the two legislative bodies, strengthen parliamentary exchanges between generations and share legislative and governance experiences.
The two sides agreed that the community of 350,000 Vietnamese people, 170,000 alumni and students who studied in Australia and 35,000 students studying in Australia are the strong bond between the two countries.
General Secretary and President To Lam requested the parliament and the Government of Australia to facilitate the issuance of visas for studying abroad, tourism, and labor for Vietnamese citizens; to be ready to provide highly skilled labor in the fields that Australia needs, especially at a time when Australia is actively preparing for the 2032 Olympics.
The two sides agreed to continue to coordinate and support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Council (AIPA); jointly promote multilateralism, respect for international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
