Prime Minister witnesses signing ceremony of ASEAN-Australia Memorandum of Understanding on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

ASEAN and Australian leaders.

At the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, on March 17, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held at the Sydney International Convention Center.

With the theme “Enhancing regional security and prosperity”, the Summit is an important forum for ASEAN and Australian leaders to discuss directions for strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the two sides established in 2014, while demonstrating Australia’s strong commitment to the region as well as its cooperation with ASEAN.

At the solemn welcoming ceremony, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warmly welcomed ASEAN leaders to the first ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held in Australia at the initiative of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

On the evening of March 17, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, ASEAN leaders and the Australian Prime Minister attended many activities such as meeting with Australian alumni who participated in the New Colombo Plan Scholarship Program in Southeast Asian countries; and witnessing the signing ceremony of the ASEAN-Australia Memorandum of Understanding on international counter-terrorism cooperation.

At the New Colombo Plan alumni meeting, leaders heard from Australian students who have had the opportunity to intern or study at universities in ASEAN countries.

Among them, 4 students have been to Vietnam, trained or interned in many different environments and fields at Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, RMIT University Vietnam, at the Asian Humanitarian Affairs Organization in Hanoi and researched on sustainable environment in Cham Island.

These valuable trips have helped enrich students’ knowledge and practical experience about the life, people and culture of ASEAN countries. They will be important bridges to create close connections between people of the countries, creating a sustainable foundation for ASEAN and Australia relations in the future.

At the signing ceremony of the ASEAN-Australia Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation to combat international terrorism, the Australian Prime Minister emphasized that this is an initiative bearing the mark of the Conference, a concrete development of the 2016 ASEAN-Australia Joint Statement on cooperation to combat international terrorism.

The signing of this memorandum of understanding, according to the Australian Prime Minister, is also to demonstrate regional strength and solidarity in the effort to ensure a more peaceful life for the people. The memorandum of understanding creates an important legal framework for enhancing cooperation between ASEAN and Australia on counter-terrorism, through a series of specific cooperation programs such as enhancing law enforcement capacity in counter-terrorism, controlling cross-border movements of terrorists, applying electronic technology in professional work, sharing intelligence, combating terrorist financing, etc.

For Vietnam, the signing of the above MOU will contribute to promoting information exchange, sharing of experiences, and effective coordination in handling terrorist plots targeting Vietnam from afar, and seeking support from countries, especially Australia, in terms of equipment, means, science and technology, and training for Vietnam's specialized counter-terrorism force.

*That same evening, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and ASEAN leaders attended a reception followed by a welcome banquet hosted by the Australian Prime Minister.

The plenary session and the closed session of the Conference are expected to take place on March 18.

Prior to the Conference, two notable activities took place: the ASEAN-Australia International Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the ASEAN-Australia Business Summit with the participation of many officials, experts and leading businesses in the region.

ASEAN-Australia relations were established in 1974.

Australia is the first country to establish an official dialogue relationship with ASEAN in all three areas: politics, economics and specialized cooperation; it is ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner, while ASEAN is Australia's 3rd largest trading partner (after China and the EU).

Two-way trade turnover in 2017 reached nearly 73 billion Australian dollars. Direct investment from Australia in ASEAN reached 72.43 billion USD in 2016, ranking 6th in the list of investors in ASEAN.