UK Queen Elizabeth II has voiced strong support for cooperation programmes between Vietnam and her nation while receiving Vietnam Ambassador to the UK and Northern Ireland Nguyen Van Thao who presented his credentials at Buckingham Palace in London on February 17.

Queen Elizabeth II expressed her keen interest in further boosting the ties of cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and the UK.

Ambassador Thao, in turn, pledged his best efforts to fortify the Vietnam-UK ties and extended regards from President Truong Tan Sang to the Queen.

The establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries in 2010 has demonstrated the Vietnamese Party and State’s sound foreign policy as the bilateral relations have blossomed in a multitude of areas. Both nations have conducted annual dialogues to enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust. This year, they will celebrate 5 years of strategic partnership, the Vietnamese diplomat told his guest.

He also underlined the need to promote economic links by encouraging more and more major UK businesses to run investments in Vietnam and bringing Vietnamese goods to the British market.

Vietnam and the UK should foster education cooperation and cross-cultural exchange as a contribution to spurring the vigorous growth of bilateral relations, Thao added.