Vietnam 1 of Australia\'s important partners

Australia always considers Vietnam as one of its important partners and wishes to further facilitate overall cooperation, especially in economics, trade, investment, education, culture and defense-security. Australian Prime Minister\'s Special envoy Angus Houston, who is on a working visit to Vietnam, made the remarks while meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in capital Hanoi on Tuesday, reported Vietnam News Agency. Informing the host on the outcomes of working sessions with the Ministry of Public Security and the Border Guard High Command, Houston stressed that Australia will do its utmost to ensure peace and stability in the region and the world, while at the same time support cooperative activities between the two countries in all realms. The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed Houston\'s visit, saying that it is of importance to the two countries\' relations, and expressed his delight with the fine development in bilateral ties in all fields. Phuc highly valued the effective support and cooperation that Australia has provided to Vietnam in the fields of Official Development Assistance (ODA), health and education-training as well as poverty reduction projects. The host suggested the two sides increase all-level delegation exchanges, investment-trade-economic ties and other practical measures to mark 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his hope that in the time to come the two sides will work closely together in matters of mutual concern, including migration and immigration, to make further contributions to the Vietnam-Australia friendship and cooperation. Vietnam and Australia established diplomatic ties in 1973.