Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee Vũ Hải Hà had talks with Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee Vũ Hải Hà on Wednesday received the Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack, who was on a working visit to Việt Nam.

Chairman Hà was pleased to see that the relationship between the two countries has continued to develop well in recent years, especially since the upgrade of the bilateral relations to Strategic Partnership and the signing of various free trade agreements (FTAs), including the Việt Nam-UK FTA (UKVFTA).

He affirmed Việt Nam's support and congratulated the UK on completing the negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), expressing confidence that the effective implementation of the FTAs that both sides participate in will bring tangible benefits to the people of both countries.

Secretary Jack underscored that the CPTPP is a new generation FTA with a large scale, opening up more cooperation opportunities between Việt Nam and the UK.

The UK official expressed his desire for both sides to further promote bilateral cooperation in economic, trade, and other fields, contributing to deepening, practical, and effective Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and the UK.

Hà said that the bilateral trade turnover between Việt Nam and the UK reached US$6.84 billion in 2022, an increase of 3.5 per cent compared to 2021. With the UK's completion of the negotiations to join the CPTPP, it will serve as a lever for trade growth between the two countries.

In addition to economic and trade cooperation, Hà proposed that the UK continue to support Việt Nam in building institutions, policies, training human resources, and transferring technology in the process of green transformation and sustainable development. He also called for enhanced cooperation in the field of education and training, including collaborative training programs with Scottish universities.

Agreeing with the proposal of the NA official, Secretary Alister Jack expressed his desire for the Vietnamese parliament and Government to continue to pay attention to removing obstacles and difficulties regarding institutions, and to create favorable conditions for British businesses to invest and operate in Việt Nam. — VNS