Vietnamese PM :Vietnam to do its utmost to deepen ties with UK

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that Vietnam will do its utmost to continue deepening relations between Vietnam and the United Kingdom in an effective manner. At his reception given to UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Green in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Wednesday, Dung suggested cooperation be further boosted between the two countries in economics, trade and investment, Vietnam News Agency reported. Dung said he hopes the UK will support Vietnam in its on-going negotiations about a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, continue to provide high levels of Official Development Agreement for Vietnam and promote cooperation in civil aviation. He proposed the UK increase scholarships and simplify procedures to make it easier for Vietnamese students to study in the European country, while investing more in building educational institutes in Vietnam. Lord Green, for his part, affirmed that the UK always attaches great importance to cooperation with Vietnam and will continue working closely with the Southeast Asian country in effectively implementing agreements reached by leaders of both countries, especially those in areas of economics, trade, investment and education and training. He said UK businesses are interested in the Vietnamese market and hope that the Vietnamese government will create favorable conditions for them to invest in the country, especially in the fields of architecture, construction, provision of education services and machinery manufacturing. He proposed the two sides further promote cooperation in education and culture, thus strengthening friendship and mutual understanding. The two-way trade between Vietnam and the UK reached nearly 3.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2012.