(VOVworld) –Vietnam and the UK should fully tap their great cooperation potential, continue to implement signed agreements and propose new cooperative programs, especially in economy, trade and investment.

 At a reception for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in Hanoi on Saturday, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Vietnam-UK strategic partnership is developing well in both scope and scale and is beneficial for both sides. He highly valued practical contributions of the former UK Prime Minister to strengthening bilateral ties, and hoped that the UK would provide more official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam to fulfill Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including poverty reduction. Dung hoped that the former UK Prime Minister would make further contribution to fostering the relationship between Vietnam and the European Union (EU), with a view to completing negotiations on an early singing of the Vietnam – EU Free Trade Agreement (VEFTA) and early ratification of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).

Tony Blair said he was impressed with Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in national construction, socio-economic development and improvement of people’s lives. He pledged to do his best to beef up EU-Vietnam relations and share experience with Vietnam in attracting foreign investment and promoting trade, education and training. He also affirmed closer coordination with the MPI and other relevant Vietnamese agencies in selecting local enterprises and prioritizing infrastructure projects to attract foreign investment.