President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives outgoing Ambassador of the UK Gareth Ward. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Talking to Ambassador Ward, President Phuc emphasized two milestones of the Ambassador's term, namely the signing and implementation of the Vietnam-UK Free Trade Agreement in December 2020 and adoption of the Joint Statement on Strategic Partnership in September 2020, aiming to elevate bilateral ties in the next 10 years. President Phuc thanked the UK for providing more than 2.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and medical equipment worth £500,000 for Vietnam.

The British Ambassador praised Vietnam's role in ASEAN, saying that Vietnam will be a bridge for Britain to access this market deeply. Emphasizing that 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, the Ambassador said that the two countries' functional agencies are preparing many cooperation activities.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives outgoing Ambassador of Belgium Paul Jansen. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Receiving Belgian Ambassador Jansen, President Phuc thanked the leaders of Belgium and the Ambassador personally for supporting and assisting Vietnam in negotiating and signing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and said he hopes that the Belgian Parliament will soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Ambassador Jansen said he hopes that more and more Vietnamese students, teachers and businesses will come to Belgium to study, work and seek investment opportunities.