Vietnam, Australia promote cooperation on ethnic affairs

Minister, Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) Hau A Lenh made the remarks at a working session with Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney during his visit to Australia.

The Government of Vietnam has always cared for and supported ethnic minorities in all aspects of life, from education, culture, to health care, he said, adding that it has just issued a strategy on ethnic affairs for the 2021-2030 period, he said.

The CEMA has prepared a draft “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) and sent it to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Australian Embassy in Vietnam as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia.

The Vietnamese official expressed his hope that the two sides would soon agree on the proposed collaboration contents so that the MoU will be signed by 2023 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, marking a milestone in the cooperation on ethnic minority and indigenous affairs of the two countries.

For her part, the Australian minister said she agreed with the proposals made by the Vietnamese side on issues that the two countries can cooperate while expressing her desire to promote the development of their bilateral relationship. She affirmed that Australia and Vietnam can share experience and boast numerous opportunities for cooperation in the field.

Within the framework of the trip to Australia, the Vietnamese delegation also had working sessions with the authorities and agencies in charge of indigenous affairs in the Northern Territory, the Australian Indigenous Entrepreneurs' Organisation, the NIAA, and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra.