Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long said President Thuong’s working trip is a high-level diplomatic activity of great importance that affirms Vietnam’s stature and role in the region and the world.
During the visit, Thuong will meet with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and some ministers of the UK so as to further intensify Vietnam’s relations with the Government and the Royal Family of the UK.
He is also scheduled to engage in meetings with leaders of the UK’s House of Commons, some British parliamentarians, former PM Tony Blair, along with representatives of some major enterprises, universities, friendship organisations, and British nationals with considerable contributions to bilateral ties, according to Long.
The ambassador went on to say that relations between Vietnam and the UK are now in their prime. In particular, the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2023. President Thuong’s visit will help create a new impetus for their strategic partnership to continue developing strongly, extensively, and steadily in the decades to come.
Besides, the President will also have meetings with leaders of other countries which are important partners of Vietnam in order to further expand and reinforce ties with them, Long added.
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| Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long (second from left), Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle (centre), and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Nogel Evans (second from right) at the launch of the Vietnam - UK Friendship Year 2023. (Photo: VNA) |
Giving more details about the Vietnam - UK relations, he said since the diplomatic relationship was set up on September 11, 1973, bilateral cooperation has been flourishing across the board. The two sides established bilateral strategic partnership in 2010 and adopted a joint statement on the occasion of the partnership’s 10th anniversary in 2020, reflecting their Governments’ strong commitment to promoting comprehensive cooperation in sustainable development and response to global challenges.
He highlighted trade and investment cooperation as a pillar of the strategic partnership, noting that the UK is currently the third largest European trading partner and the ninth export market of Vietnam.
In the first two years since the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) came into force on May 1, 2021, despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral trade still grew 16.4% in 2021 and 6.5% in 2022 to top 6.8 billion USD, rising three-fold from 2010, when the strategic partnership took shape.
In addition, the two countries have also reached important agreements on other aspects, the diplomat said, elaborating that last year, under the UK Government’s coordination, Vietnam and the G7 countries approved a political declaration on establishing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), opening up chances for cooperation in energy transition, green growth, and sustainable development.
Meanwhile, the UK’s conclusion of talks on its entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on March 31 is also important to bilateral relations. Together with the UKVFTA, the CPTPP will add another legal framework for trade and economic ties between the two countries. It will help foster investment and business links as well as people-to-people exchanges and mutual cultural understanding, which form an important basis for the Vietnam - UK friendship and strategic partnership, Long added.
