Vietnam and the UK signed an aviation cooperation agreement on Dec.
8, during National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung’s ongoing
official visit to the European country.
The
agreement, signed by Vietnamese Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang and
UK Under-Secretary of State for Transport Mike Penning, is expected to
create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and UK airlines to
develop air routes between the two countries as well as encourage their
businesses to invest in the aviation industries.
The opening of direct routes to the UK by the national flag carrier
Vietnam Airlines on Dec. 9 not only marks a new milestone in transport
cooperation but also helps boost economic, trade and tourism cooperation
between the two nations.
At their working session
after the signing ceremony, Minister Thang said he is pleased with the
lifting of the Vietnam-UK relationship to the level of strategic
partnership in September 2010, describing it a foundation for the future
development of bilateral ties in general and transport cooperation in
particular.
He spoke highly of the results of
transport cooperation between the two countries over the past years and
suggested the UK Government and Transport Department continue support
for Vietnam ’s aviation sector as well as encourage UK businesses
to invest in transport infrastructure projects in the Southeast Asian
country.
The Vietnamese minister also proposed
that the UK Government should provide more opportunities for the two
sides to increase the exchange of information about the maritime sector,
including maritime development policies and maritime laws.
The UK Under-Secretary of State for Transport shared his guest’s
views, saying that the two sides will step up cooperation in aviation
security and safety, and maritime safety, especially in fighting armed
pirates./.