The UK’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair glowingly spoke of Vietnam’s achievements in the COVID-19 fight and being among economies enjoying positive growth in 2020 during his phone talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on October 27.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh holds phone talks
with the UK’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair 

The former UK PM who is now Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change highlighted the role of digital transformation and technology application in combating COVID-19. He also touched upon the possibility of working with the US’ Oracle group to carry out a digital healthcare management system in Vietnam to cope with the pandemic.

He applauded Vietnam’s improved investment and business climate, adding that with what the nation has recorded in the COVID-19 fight and the enforcement of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the country is emerging as a magnet for the global FDI flow.

Blair affirmed his readiness to assist Vietnam in attracting high-quality investment in the coming time.

In response, Minh was appreciative of the former PM’s contributions to the both nations’ relations and provision of policy advice for Vietnam in a number of fields like FDI attraction and implementation of the public-private partnership model.

Amid the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, Vietnam will step up its cooperation with international partners in the coronavirus prevention and control, especially vaccine and medicine development, production, and distribution.

Vietnam priotizes attracting high-quality foreign investment and cooperating in technological innovation in socio-economic development in the near future, Minh said.

He also expressed his hope that the two sides will boost collaboration in attracting high-quality foreign investment, including FDI projects applying high technology, and promoting innovation and R&D centres that are connected with Vietnamese businesses through human resource training and support industry development.