Vietnam’s FM hosts reception for UK Secretary of State for Scotland
Hanoi, The Gulf Observer: Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son hosted a reception in Hanoi on Tuesday for UK Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack.
At the meeting, Son proposed the two countries continue stepping up delegation exchanges, effectively implementing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, maintaining close cooperation at multilateral forums, and encouraging UK enterprises, including those from Scotland, to invest in finance, science-technology, innovation, green transformation and energy transition in Vietnam.
He congratulated the UK on officially joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and appreciated its role in promoting the building of the Just Energy Transition Partnership framework between Vietnam and international partners. He suggested the UK continue to support Vietnam in building institutions and policies; boost human resources training and technology transfer in the process of green transformation and sustainable development; and strengthen collaboration in education and training, including joint training cooperation with Scottish universities.
Agreeing with the Vietnamese minister’s proposals, Alister Jack affirmed that the UK will maintain support for Vietnam to respond to climate change and develop renewable energy and green finance.
Vietnam is an important partner of the UK in the region and the two countries have high political trust, he added.
Regarding the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) issue, the two ministers agreed that ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the sea plays an important role for peace and prosperous development of the region and the world; and that all disputes need to be solved peacefully through dialogues, and on the basis of compliance with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
