Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn received AstraZeneca Global Deputy General Director Juliette White and attended the announcement of AstraZeneca’s investment into Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of AstraZeneca

LONDON — Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn hosted a reception in London on May 5 for Vice President Global SHE and Sustainability at AstraZeneca Juliette White and attended a ceremony to announce its investment worth US$50 million to restore forests and landscapes in Việt Nam.

After hearing a report on AstraZeneca’s underway programmes in Việt Nam, especially a project on planting 22.5 million trees worth $50 million to restore forests and landscapes, Sơn spoke highly of AstraZeneca’s contributions to the development of Việt Nam’s health care sector over the past 25 years, which has shown that AstraZeneca is a trustworthy partner of Việt Nam.

Việt Nam highly values its cooperation with AstraZeneca, he said. Apart from its positive contributions to the global COVID-19 fight, AstraZeneca provided early and timely support in controlling the pandemic in Việt Nam. The first successful visit by its CEO Pascal Soriot to Việt Nam last May opened up new, potential, and long-term cooperation directions between the two sides, not only in pandemic prevention and control but also in new fields such as climate change response and green development.

The tree planting project is in line with Việt Nam’s rapid and sustainable development policy and strong commitments on net zero emissions by 2050 at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), he said.

He suggested AstraZeneca continue effectively implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on enhancing cooperation with the Vietnamese Health Ministry, contributing to improving Việt Nam’s health care capacity and self-sufficiency in drugs, vaccines, and medical equipment; sharing experience and technology in emission reduction and climate change response with Việt Nam; and assisting the country in pandemic prevention and control.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry will continue actively supporting AstraZeneca in its projects in Việt Nam, contributing to strengthening cooperation between AstraZeneca and relevant Vietnamese agencies of Việt Nam, he said. — VNS