Long Pham / Source: Vietnamplus and Vietnamtimes
At the event (Photo: VNA)
Speaking at the event, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said since the official establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973, Vietnam and the UK have been developing a strong, effective and dynamic partnership across all areas.
The establishment of the bilateral strategic partnership in 2010 and the Joint Declaration on the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership in 2020 demonstrated the strong commitment and vision of both governments. The UK is now one of Vietnam's most important strategic partners, and the two countries have maintained regular high-level dialogues and exchanges.
Last year, two-way trade hit 6.9 billion USD, making the UK the third largest European trade partner and the ninth biggest importer of Vietnam globally.
In 2020, Vietnam and the UK signed the bilateral free trade agreement. The UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) this year also contributed to increasing the role of the trade alliance, bringing the GDP of the bloc to 14 trillion USD and creating opportunities for both countries to strive towards the 10 billion USD target, Vu added.
According to him, education is another crucial pillar in the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership, with 12,000 Vietnamese students in the European country. The UK, renowned for its long-standing and world-class education system, has set Vietnam as one of its priority countries in its international education strategy. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the British Council's operations in Vietnam and the 30th anniversary of the Chevening Scholarships offered by the UK Government in Vietnam.
Both countries are also working together to address global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in energy transition and climate change adaptation.
Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)
On the basis of the achievements obtained over the past five decades, Vu said he believes that bilateral relationship will keep growing and expanding across all the fields.
Vice President - General Secretary of VUFO Phan Anh Son said that, along with the Party and State diplomacy activities, in the past half-century, many peace, solidarity, friendship and people-to-people exchange activities have been carried out between Vietnam and the UK by many diverse forms, with rich content such as information sharing; rallies commemorating major British holidays; seminars, discussions, and forums in fields of mutual interest. These activities have a significant impact on people in both countries. UK non-governmental organizations in Vietnam have effectively implemented many programs and projects in different fields.
Vice President - General Secretary of VUFO Phan Anh Son speaks at the event (Photo: Vietnamtimes)
"People-to-people diplomacy activities between the two countries have made a practical contribution to enhancing understanding and promoting cooperation in all fields between Vietnam and the UK, creating a solid foundation for increasingly bilateral relations. It can be said that the friendship and people-to-people cooperation between Vietnam and the UK is in a period of good development, with a lot of potential and room for cooperative forms and contents" - Vice President - General Secretary of VUFO Phan Anh Son emphasized.
British Ambassador to Việt Nam Iain Frew speaks at the event (Photo: Vietnamtimes)
UK Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Frew said Vietnam has undergone an impressive journey of economic development and global integration, in which the UK is proud to have played a significant role.
Speaking highly of the potential of joint work in health care, research, renewable energy, investment and trade, he committed to strengthening the enduring bond between the two countries which, he said, continues growing stronger over the time./.
