Vietnamese, Australian PM hold phone talks, discuss measures to boost ties

Prime ministers of Vietnam and Australia on Wednesday held phone talks and discussed measures to realize the Declaration on Enhancing the Australia-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott agreed to task foreign ministries of the two countries to coordinate in realizing the outcomes of Dung's official visit to Australia last month, said the Vietnamese government portal.

The declaration covers regional and international cooperation, trade and investment, industry development, development assistance, defense, law enforcement and security.

During the phone talks, the Vietnamese prime minister reiterated his proposal that Australia soon will complete all procedures to allow Vietnamese agricultural products to enter the Australian market.

He suggested Australia to set up an agency in Vietnam to inspect the products before exporting them to Australia to ensure quality and reduce risks for Vietnamese exporters.

Abbott said during Dung's visit, both sides outlined major orientations to accelerate the bilateral ties to a new height in accordance with the increasingly strategic nature of the relationship.

The Australian prime minister reaffirmed his desire to intensify trade and investment linkages with Vietnam while expecting more Vietnamese farm products to be available on the Australian market.

Vietnam and Australia established diplomatic ties in 1973. According to Vietnam Customs, in 2014, Vietnam-Australia bilateral trade revenue reached 6.05 billion U.S. dollars. Endi