Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s trip to attend the ASEAN - Australia Special Summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the two sides’ dialogue relations and to also pay official visits to Australia and New Zealand holds special significance, according to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.

The trip, from March 5 to 11, is being made at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Talking to the media, Mr. Viet said this is the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Australia and New Zealand in seven years, and also the first by Prime Minister Chinh to the two countries as Vietnam’s government leader.

The ASEAN - Australia Special Summit is expected to be a good occasion for ASEAN and Australian leaders to review 50 years of bilateral relations and especially the implementation of their comprehensive strategic partnership set up in 2021, he said.

This is also a chance for leaders to discuss their vision, orientations, and concrete measures for expanding ties in the future.

Regarding the visit to Australia, Mr. Viet stressed that this will be an opportunity for the two countries to review the development of bilateral ties over recent years, particularly in implementing the Strategic Partnership between the two sides.

The two sides are also scheduled to outline cooperative orientations for the time ahead, with a focus on trade and investment cooperation.

The two countries will also work towards elevating bilateral relations to new heights, he added.

Concerning the Prime Minister’s New Zealand visit, Mr. Viet noted that New Zealand is also an important strategic partner of Vietnam in the South Pacific, and underlined the long-standing and fruitful connections in various fields, such as education and training, gender equality, development, and agriculture.

The two countries will continue to discuss measures to further boost bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment.