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Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held phone talks with Australian and Serbian foreign ministers on August 27, where they discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations. At the phone talks, the Vietnamese foreign minister thanks Australia and Serbia for their support in the Covid fight.

Talking to his Australian counterpart Marise Payne, Son thanked his nation for donating more than 400,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which is the first batch of 1.5 million vaccine doses that Australia has pledged to support Vietnam.

Australia’s timely support will help Vietnam accelerate vaccination, Minister Son said, while affirming Vietnam’s determination to urgently access and bring home more vaccines, medical equipment, and drugs. The country stays ready to repurchase or borrow vaccines in advance from other countries to fast-track its domestic vaccination drive, VOV reported.

Australian FM Payne expressed sympathy for the complicated situation of the pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City and some provinces of Vietnam, affirming that she will make efforts to soon deliver the remaining 1.1 million vaccine doses to Vietnam.

She also pledged to urge UNICEF to use Australia’s support funding to bring more vaccines to Vietnam this year, and continue working with relevant ministries and sectors to promptly provide essential medical equipment and supplies such as ventilators, patient monitoring machines, facemasks, and protective gears to support the country's fight against the pandemic.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. (Photo: SCMP)

The two ministers showed their delight at the strong development of the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership in the past time and discussed measures to boost bilateral relations in the coming time. They agreed to continue maintaining and organizing meetings at levels and existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms in specific fields.

They also expressed their satisfaction with the positive development of bilateral economic and trade ties, in which two-way trade increased by nearly 50 percent in the first seven months of 2021, according to VNA.

Both sides agreed to soon finalize negotiations towards the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to soon complete a strategy to step up economic cooperation between Vietnam and Australia.

They concurred to consider the recognition of each other's vaccine passports to facilitate travel and trade between the two countries.

Minister Son suggested the Australian side offer favorable conditions to welcome Vietnamese students back to Australia and consider signing an agreement to receive Vietnamese workers to become involved in a new Australian agriculture visa program. Minister Payne congratulated Minister Son on the occasion of the 76th National Day of Vietnam. The latter thanked and invited the former to visit Vietnam at a convenient time in the coming time.

During his phone talks with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic the same day, the two diplomats concurred to bolster cooperation in priority fields, especially politics, diplomacy, economy, and trade. They also pledged to expand collaboration in potential spheres such as labor cooperation and information technology.

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic. (Photo: SCMP)

The two ministers appreciated the effective cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries which was reflected in the exchange of delegations at the ministerial level and political consultations at the deputy ministerial level as well as close coordination at international forums.

Selakovic highly valued the long-standing traditional friendship between Serbia and Vietnam with a history of more than 60 years and affirmed the determination of Serbian leaders and people to enhance relations with Vietnam in all fields.

He announced that on the basis of the good friendship between the two countries, the Serbian Government has decided to donate vaccines and medical equipment to support Vietnam's fight against Covid-19.

The Serbian minister also expressed his belief that with the determination and efforts of the Vietnamese Government and people, the country will surely win over the pandemic.

On behalf of the Government of Vietnam, Son sincerely thanked the Government and people of Serbia for the decision to donate vaccines to Vietnam, considering it a noble gesture and a demonstration of the time-honored between the two countries and sincere affection between the two peoples. The Vietnamese diplomat highlighted Serbia's valuable and timely assistance as a contribution to helping Vietnam soon curb and push back the Covid-19 pandemic.

Son also suggested the Serbian side consider ceding its surplus vaccines, providing medical equipment and supplies to treat Covid-19 patients as well as cooperation in transferring vaccine production technology to Vietnam.

The Serbian FM used the occasion to invite his Vietnamese counterpart to pay an official visit to Serbia and the invitation was graciously accepted.

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