THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JUSTIN TRUDEAU (Prime Minister of Canada): Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here.

Hello everyone. Thank you for being her with us today. It’s a pleasure to be here in Vietnam on my first official visit, and I would like to start by again extending my condolences to the Vietnamese people on the part of all Canadians for Typhoon Damrey that struck just a few days ago.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

Prime Minister Phúc and I just finished a great bilateral meeting. It’s been a long time, too long since a Canadian prime minister made an official visit to Vietnam and I'm honoured to be able to visit your beautiful country, although it is not my first visit as I told you again earlier. I was here in 1995 on a backpacking trip with some friends and it’s wonderful to see how much has changed and how much has not changed. The welcome is just as warm as it was back then.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

Today of course is not my first meeting with the Prime Minister but it was my first opportunity to really dig in and have an in-depth conversation and I’m very pleased with the results of today’s talk.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

Canada and Vietnam have been friends for many years, as far back as the early 1970s when diplomatic ties were established by my father.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

And since then, our two countries have worked together to advance our shared objectives, whether through international development assistance, greater economic cooperation or strengthening trade.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

That tradition continued today when Prime Minister Phúc and I officially entered into a joint partnership agreement.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

For decades our two countries have worked together to advance our shared goals, whether through international development support, greater economic cooperation or expanded trade.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

That tradition continued today when Prime Minister Phúc and I formalized a joint partnership agreement.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

It’s a framework that will allow us to strengthen cooperation between Canada and Vietnam. It will allow us to continue to work closely on vital issues like trade and security, things that are essential to growing our economies and creating more jobs and more opportunities for our citizens.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

The agreement will also help to advance our ongoing dialogue on the promotion and protection of human rights. That’s something that matters a great deal to Canadians and that’s why my first activity today was to meet with civil society leaders where we had a good discussion about women’s issues, issues facing the LGBTQ2 community and issues around freedom of expression and freedom of information.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

In addition to advancing shared economic and human rights interests the Joint Partnership Agreement will encourage greater people to people connections between our two countries through expanded cultural and academic exchanges.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

Those personal connections are already very strong with nearly a quarter of a million people of Vietnamese descent now living in Canada, and I’m looking forward to further strengthening those ties in the years to come.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

Canada and Vietnam understand that it is by working together that we can create opportunity and prosperity for our people as well as a safer, more secure world for all.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)

Thank you again, Prime Minister Phúc, and the people of Vietnam for your warm welcome, your partnership and your friendship.

INTERPRETER: (Speaks in Vietnamese)