Vietnam wants to effectively promote the strategic partnership with the United Kingdom (UK) in a long-term and sustainable manner for the benefit of the two countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement at a reception for UK Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan, in Hanoi on May 25.

PM Dung thanked the UK government and people for their official development assistance to Vietnam, saying it contributed to Vietnam’s important development achievements – especially in hunger eradication and poverty reduction – and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

He said he hoped the UK would provide Vietnam with continued assistance in infrastructure, human resource training and dealing with climate change and sea level rise.

Dung stressed that the Vietnamese government would create favourable conditions to promote the growing bilateral investment as well as cooperation in education and training, HIV/AIDS prevention, finance, banking, and the opening of a direct air route.

Alan Duncan spoke highly of the efficiency of UK-funded projects in Vietnam, adding that the UK-Vietnam strategic partnership agreement for the 2011-2014 period, to be signed on May 26, would contribute to a strong promotion of the two countries’ cooperative ties.

He said he hoped the two countries would also work closely in finance, banking and aviation, as well as fighting and preventing HIV/AIDS and corruption./.