State President Nguyen Minh Triet expressed commitment to relations with Italy , Britain and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) during his separate meetings with their incoming ambassadors in Hanoi on December 6.

Triet told Italian Ambassador Enzo Angeloni that the two countries should continue taking concrete measures to effectively gear bilateral relations to a deeper dimension.

He cited agreements signed by the two countries following his visit to Italy late last year as evidence of fine development of bilateral relations.

For his part, the Italian ambassador emphasised Italy ’s policy of boosting cooperation and assistance to Vietnam through the transfer of advanced technology, while asking for regular exchange of visits at all levels.

He pledged to do his best to boost economic and trade cooperation between the two countries as well as to promote Italian culture in Vietnam .

Strategic partnership was in spotlight during the Vietnamese State President’s reception of the Ambassador of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , Dr Antony Stokes.

The Vietnamese State President highly valued Britain ’s huge official development assistance, making it the leading EU donor to Vietnam .

Relations between the two countries have made major progress with the signing of a joint declaration in upgrading bilateral relations to strategic partnership, Triet remarked.

He called for an increase in multifaceted cooperation, focusing on such key areas as trade, investment, ODA and education.

In reply, Dr Stokes expressed his deep impression of achievements recorded by Vietnam in solving challenges emerging from its journey of development, describing them as example for other countries to follow.

He said the two countries should make greater efforts to better tap their individual potential.

Comradeship and loyalty were highlighted by both host and guest at a meeting between the Vietnamese State President and DPRK Ambassador Kim Chang Il.

Triet pledged that the Vietnamese State and people would do their utmost to boost cooperation in all fields with the DPRK, and help each other to develop.

“ Vietnam is always a loyal comrade and friend of the DPRK people and strongly believes that the DPRK will overcome all difficulties to build a strong and prosperous nation for its people,” Triet said.

He also raised deep concerns over the situation in the Korean peninsula and expressed wishes for peace, stability and cooperation for development in the peninsula.

The Vietnamese State leader asked the DPRK ambassador to convey his best regards to General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Kim Jong Il and other leaders of the DPRK.

For his part, the DPRK ambassador reiterated his Government’s unswerving policy to further develop traditional friendship and cooperation with Vietnam .

He lauded Vietnam ’s success in holding the 17 th ASEAN Summit, which he said has helped increase the Southeast Asian nation’s position in the international arena./.