Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang had a working session with British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific Seema Malhotra at the headquarters of the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on October 13, part of the Vietnamese official’s working visit to the UK.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation to London, Malhotra hailed the progress in bilateral relations in recent years, to which both foreign ministries have contributed significantly.

She affirmed that the UK considers Vietnam an important partner in the Asia-Pacific region and expressed her wish to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in the fields of politics – diplomacy, security, trade, finance, education, energy transition, and sustainable development.

For her part, Hang thanked the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the British Embassy in Hanoi for their close coordination with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in promoting bilateral cooperation as well as ties at multilateral forums, including ASEAN and the United Nations.

The Deputy Minister affirmed that Vietnam always attaches great importance to its relations with the UK and wishes to work closely with the country to deepen and effectively advance their Strategic Partnership in line with the interests of both sides.

The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and existing cooperation mechanisms between their foreign ministries, such as the deputy minister-level strategic dialogue and exchanges between relevant departments. They also pledged to enhance the coordinating role of both ministries to promote more extensive and effective cooperation, including by facilitating high-level visits and meetings, effectively implementing the signed agreements and documents, and expanding collaboration in traditional areas as well as potential sectors.

The officials underscored the importance of enhancing economic, trade and investment cooperation through the effective use of the UK – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). They also agreed to foster joint efforts in science, technology, innovation, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges./.