Vietnam Premier receives former British Prime Minister in Hanoi
Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 23:00 GMT+7
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on late Wednesday afternoon received Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the Government Office in Hanoi.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam wants the two sides to jointly lift the Vietnam-UK Strategic Partnership in many sectors including politics, diplomacy, economy, trade and investment, and education and training, to a new height.
Besides, Vietnam wants the UK to continue supporting Vietnam in the field of poverty reduction, socioeconomic and infrastructure development, and climate change adaptation.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his impression on the achievements of Vietnam in socioeconomic development, poverty reduction and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of Vietnam in the recent years.
Blair told Prime Minister Dung that he believes in the development potential of Vietnam. Blair also praised Vietnam’s effort in proactively participating the international integration, positively launching economic reform and creating a favorable business environment for international businesses and foreign investments.
Former British Prime Minister also affirmed his willingness to support and share his experiences with Vietnam in many areas, such as attracting foreign investment, coping with climate change, developing public - private partnership (PPP ) model, and promoting education and training.
Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from May 1997 to June 2007. He was also the leader of Britain’s Labour Party (1994 to 2007) and the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, England (1983 to 2007). He was in power from 1997 to 2007 before being succeeded by Gordon Brown.
Since leaving Downing Street, Tony Blair has served as the Quartet Representative to the Middle East. He represents the United States of America, United Nations, Russia and the European Union, working with the Palestinians to prepare for statehood as part of the international community’s effort to secure peace.
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In the framework of his working visit to Vietnam, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will work with the Minister of Planning and Investment. He will also attend and give a presentation at a seminar on "Global Investment Trends: Recommendations for Vietnam" organized by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with the Office of Tony Blair in Hanoi. Britain's Telegraph newspaper in early September 2013 reported Mr. Blair had clinched a deal to advise the Vietnamese government on “economic and trade links with the UK and the European Union.” But the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs then said Vietnam had yet to sign any agreement with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to name him adviser to the government. Tony Blair paid his first two-day visit to Vietnam on October 2012, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
