Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai received visiting former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in Hanoi on October 19. 


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During the reception, the Vietnamese official highlighted recently fruitful cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in all fields, stressing that the UK is one of Vietnam’s leading economic partners in the EU. 

Economic and trade links between the two countries recorded positive results, with two-way trade hitting 3.48 billion USD in 2014. The UK operates 217 investment projects worth 4.43 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking 15 th among 105 countries and territories investing in the country. 

Deputy PM Hai thanked the UK government for its provision of official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam in recent years, expressing his hope that Blair would continue helping Vietnam access the UK’s preferential capital sources and international development assistance funds, thus enhancing Vietnam’s efforts to combat climate change, grow sustainably and improve education. 

Regarding the affiliation between Tony Blair Associates (TBA) and Vietnam, the Deputy PM praised the signing of a cooperation agreement between TBA and Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment. It focuses on attracting foreign direct investment, State-owned enterprise reform and private-public partnership (PPP). 

He also spoke highly of the results of Blair’s recent visits to Vietnam, saying that they helped promote the implementation of the agreement and strengthen the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership. 

For his part, Blair said he aimed to boost relations between TBA and Vietnamese partner agencies with his visit. 

TBA is especially interested in Vietnam’s policy of reforming State-owned enterprises, he stressed, adding that he hoped the Vietnamese Government would create favourable conditions for cooperation in the field.

State Bank Governor receives former UK Prime Minister

Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Van Binh has underscored the role of former Prime Minister of Great Britain and North Ireland Tony Blair and his namesake office in developing the Vietnam – UK strategic partnership. 

During a reception in Hanoi on October 19, Binh said the Office of Tony Blair has provided practical and valuable assistance to the Vietnamese Government in strategic areas, including foreign investment attraction, public-private partnership frameworks and of State-owned enterprise reform. 

He also hailed the office for pledging to attend and deliver a speech at the seminar “Vietnam becomes a new processing and engineering hub of the world after 2015” slated for October 24 in Hanoi. 

The former PM spoke highly of Vietnam’s positive achievements in macro-economic stability and reform, particularly in the banking sector. He said he was optimistic about Vietnam’s economic prospects in light of its membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement. 

Both sides stressed the need to accelerate economic restructuring with a focus on the finance-banking sector in order to stimulate economic development for the next five years and beyond. 

They agreed to work closely in experience sharing, reform, global economic integration and financial market development. 

The two sides will help small- and medium-sized enterprises improve their approach to financial access while continuing to restructure commercial banks and strengthen country competitiveness in the region.

VNA