Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab at their meeting on September 30 (Photo: VNA)

PM Phuc welcomed the UK minister’s official visit to Vietnam at a time when Vietnam and the UK are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. Vietnam always considers the UK as a leading partner in Europe and the world, he affirmed, expressing his delight at the great strides in bilateral relations in the recent past. He suggested the two countries to soon finalise, sign and enforce a bilateral free trade agreement so as to seize cooperation chances and support their post-pandemic growth recovery. Vietnam always creates favourable conditions for UK investors and enterprises to enter the country to do business, capitalise on their advantages, and meet Vietnam’s development demand, he noted.

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

The UK treasures and wishes to further intensify cooperation with Vietnam, he said, adding that it also hopes to coordinate closely with the Southeast Asian country in promoting connections between the UK and the region and in settling urgent global issues. The two countries have maintained and will keep close cooperation at multilateral forums, the UN Security Council, and other international organisations, he said, voicing his hope that both sides will work together to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held in the UK in 2021.

The UK supports Vietnam and ASEAN’s stance on the need 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), the official added.