The nation always considers the UK as a leading partner in Europe and the world, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a reception for UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab in Hanoi on September 30.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives UK Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab

 PM Phuc welcomed the UK minister’s official visit to Vietnam at a time when both nations are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership and showed his delight at the great strides in bilateral relations in the recent past.

 He applauded the outcomes of the earlier talks between the UK minister and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, especially the issuance of the “Joint Declaration on the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership: Forging Ahead for Another 10 years”, which defines the vision and cooperation orientations in specific areas.

 The UK is a big trade partner of Vietnam in Europe, he emphasized while suggesting the two countries to soon finalize negotiation towards the signing and enforcement of a bilateral free trade agreement so as to seize cooperation chances and support their post-pandemic growth recovery, Phuc told his guest.

The host leader affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to offer optimal conditions for UK investors and enterprises to do business in the country, capitalize on their advantages, and meet Vietnam’s development demand.

 Vietnam is willing to continue working with the UK to intensify COVID-19 prevention and control, especially medicine and vaccine development, and facilitate all people’s access to them at a suitable cost, the government chief said.

 He also praised the cooperation between the two nations at multilateral forums and proposed them keep coordination, particularly when Vietnam is serving as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2020-2021.

 For his part, the UK diplomat said his visit to Vietnam is part of the UK Government’s policy aimed at expanding ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

 The UK treasures and desires to further bolster cooperation with Vietnam, he said, adding that it also wishes to boost closer coordination with the Southeast Asian nation in enhancing connections between the UK and the region and in dealing with urgent global issues.

 He also informed PM Phuc about the measures the countries’ officials had agreed on to  promote ties in economy, trade, investment, development cooperation, education-training, science-technology, clean energy, and sustainable development so that the strategic partnership will live up to its potential and the two sides’ aspirations.

 Raab congratulated Vietnam on successfully containing the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that his nation is appreciative of its stature and role in the region and the world.

 Both nations have maintained and will keep close cooperation at multilateral forums, the UN Security Council, and other international organisations, he said, expressing his hope that both sides will work together to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) which is set to take place in the UK in 2021.

 The UK supports Vietnam and ASEAN’s stance on their efforts to maintain peace, stability and security, resolve disputes via peaceful measures, and comply with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he added.

 On this occasion, the UK minister conveyed PM Boris Johnson’s invitation to PM Phuc to make an official visit to the UK. The host leader also asked Raab to convey his invitation to his UK counterpart to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.