British Prime Minister hosts official welcoming ceremony and talks with General Secretary To Lam

Within the framework of the official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the Prime Minister's Office, on the afternoon of October 29 (local time), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer chaired the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer welcomes General Secretary To Lam . Photo: Thong Nhat/TTXVN

Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed General Secretary To Lam at the main entrance. Following this, General Secretary To Lam and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer led high-level delegations from both countries in talks.

During the talks, welcoming General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-level Vietnamese delegation, on their official visit to the UK, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer affirmed that the visit was an important milestone in strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries. Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Vietnam on its achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and General Secretary To Lam personally; emphasizing that Vietnam is a dynamic economy with a high degree of openness, playing an increasingly important role in the Asia- Pacific region and is one of the UK's leading important partners in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific.

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer held a private meeting. Photo: Thong Nhat/TTXVN

During the talks, General Secretary To Lam highly appreciated the impressive achievements that the UK has made in socio-economic development, making it the world's sixth largest economy and a leading global financial center. General Secretary To Lam affirmed that these achievements have contributed to helping the UK maintain its position as one of the world's leading developed countries; and expressed confidence that under the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the UK will continue to develop strongly, making positive contributions to peace, cooperation, and sustainable development in the world.

Discussing cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in recent times, General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Starmer highly appreciated the positive development of bilateral cooperation, especially in efforts to resolve obstacles and find appropriate solutions in the spirit of cooperation for the common benefit of the people of both countries. The leaders of both countries were pleased to note that Vietnam and the UK share many common points on international and regional issues of mutual concern, and have been coordinating closely and supporting each other in international and regional forums.

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer. Photo: Thong Nhat/TTXVN

General Secretary To Lam emphasized that Vietnam always values ​​its traditional friendship and strategic partnership with the UK based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and a forward-looking perspective. Vietnam is ready to cooperate closely with the UK to elevate the relationship across key pillars such as politics and diplomacy, defense and security, science and technology and digital transformation, finance and banking, education and training, environment and climate change response, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. The General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam, as a member of ASEAN, is ready to work with the UK to bridge and promote cooperation between the UK and ASEAN, serving as a gateway for the UK to access the Southeast Asian market.

During the talks, the two leaders affirmed that the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the new phase, especially in the transition of the economy and energy towards green and sustainable development, the development of the digital technology industry, and the training of high-quality human resources. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his desire to develop comprehensive bilateral relations with Vietnam, especially within the frameworks of the Vietnam-UK Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP). Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that the British Government is ready to support Vietnam in fulfilling its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, while encouraging British businesses to increase investment and cooperation in Vietnam, and committing to supporting Vietnam in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer held talks. Photo: Thong Nhat/TTXVN

The two leaders agreed to aim for a doubling of trade turnover in the near future. The British Prime Minister expressed his hope that Vietnam would support cooperation in e-commerce and financial services within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Regarding security and defense cooperation, both sides agreed on the need to diversify cooperation, jointly address illegal immigration, and agreed to strengthen defense cooperation related to peacekeeping forces and training.

The two sides also spent time exchanging views on international and regional issues of mutual concern. Both sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight, and peacefully resolving disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, including the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer exchange a Joint Statement on upgrading Vietnam-UK relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA.

At the conclusion of the talks, the two leaders issued a Joint Statement officially upgrading Vietnam-UK relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Joint Statement highly appreciated the significant achievements of bilateral relations, affirmed the principles, and set out major directions to promote and strengthen cooperation and develop the traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the UK, for the long-term benefit of the people of both countries, and for peace, society, and sustainable development in each region and the world. On this occasion, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the UK Home Office signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in combating international fraud and a plan to enhance cooperation on migration issues.

Both sides emphasized that the Joint Statement issued by the two leaders on upgrading bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the signing of the agreement on migration cooperation, as well as a series of agreements in the fields of economics, green finance, education and training, health, clean energy, renewable energy, and local cooperation, during the General Secretary's visit, are of great significance, creating a foundation for further deepening cooperation between the two countries. The two leaders agreed to coordinate closely to implement the new framework of relations.

General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer. Photo: Thong Nhat/TTXVN

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam conveyed greetings from the high-ranking leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State to Prime Minister Starmer and other high-ranking British leaders. General Secretary To Lam invited Prime Minister Keir Starmer to visit Vietnam soon. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his sincere gratitude and happily accepted the invitation.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/chinh-tri/thu-tuong-anh-chu-tri-le-don-chinh-thuc-va-hoi-dam-voi-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-20251030062533129.htm