HÀ NỘI — Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Vũ has highlighted the need to build a common vision towards stability, sustainability and connectivity across seas and oceans, including the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), while addressing the recent seventh Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Perth, Australia. Co-chaired by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on February 9-10, the conference attracted the participation of leaders, senior officials, researchers and scholars from over 30 countries and international organisations inside and outside the region. Within the framework of the event, the Vietnamese official had meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar, the UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific, Deputy Foreign Ministers of Australia, Maldives and Japan, and the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and representatives of some ASEAN countries. At a meeting with Roger Cook, the premier of Western Australia state, Deputy Minister Vũ asked the premier to continue facilitating the integration of Vietnamese working and studying in the state, and proposed speedier visa granting procedures for Vietnamese businesspeople, skilled workers and students. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the positive developments in relations between Vietnamese localities and Western Australia, particularly the opening of a direct air route between Hồ Chí Minh City and Perth in January 2024 and an Invest and Trade Representative Office of Western Australia in HCM City in March 2023.
