First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon (R) presents a gift to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at their meeting on October 31. Photo: VNA

PM Chinh made the affirmation at a meeting with First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon on October 31 morning (local time).

The Government leader is staying in the UK to attend the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and pay a working visit to the country, VietnamPlus reported.

Speaking highly of the potential of Vietnam - Scotland relations, Chinh called on Scotland to share experience, help with human resources training, grant scholarships for Vietnamese students, and send experts to assist the Southeast Asian country.

He also asked Sturgeon to facilitate Vietnamese goods’ access to the Scottish market, and affirmed that Vietnam encourages and creates favourable conditions for British businesses, including those from Scotland, to expand investment in important sectors of the Vietnamese economy.

For her part, First Minister Sturgeon expressed her belief that Vietnam will contribute to the success of the COP26, and hailed the country’s significant contributions to common efforts in climate change response.

She noted her support for PM Chinh’s proposals, stressing Scotland is ready to share its experience and cooperate with Vietnam in developing inshore wind power.

The official added she hopes for stronger ties in human resources development and welcomes Vietnamese students to Scotland.

The two sides agreed on the necessity of cooperation in ensuring equal access to vaccine sources in the Covid-19 fight.

PM Chinh proposed Scotland to assist Vietnam in vaccine supply and essential medical supplies.

He also took this occasion to invite the First Minister and enterprises of Scotland to visit and explore investment opportunities in Vietnam.

At the COP26, Chinh will attend the opening ceremony, deliver speeches and meet with country leaders, international organizations and other important partners, according to VnExpress.

The newspaper cited UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward as saying that Chinh's trip would boost bilateral ties in various fields including traffic management, education, space and vaccines.

The UK is Vietnam's third largest commerce partner in Europe, after Germany and the Netherlands. In 2019, the import-export trade turnover between the two countries reached $6.6 billion, with export turnover accounting for $5.8 billion, according to the Vietnam Customs.

Direct Vietnam-UK air route announced

PM Chinh attends the announcement ceremony of a direct Vietnam - UK air route. Photo: VGP News

PM Chinh on October 31 attended the announcement ceremony of a direct Vietnam - UK air route by Bamboo Airways held in Edinburg city, VOV said.

As planned, from January 2022, Bamboo Airways will launch regular direct flights connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with London (UK), with a total frequency of 6 return flights per week.

The frequency will be gradually increased daily according to market demand. The flights by Bamboo Airways will help shorten the travel time to 12-13 hours, or 7 hours shorter than the transit ones.

The route is also opening up chances to increase flights between Vietnam and other top destinations in the world. It is expected to help step up comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.

On this occasion, Bamboo Airways officially launched APG UK - the general agent that represents the airline in the UK market.

APG UK is part of the global APG network - a world-renowned provider of aviation and travel solutions, and is one of the region's leading aviation GSA representatives, representing more than 25 airlines.

As the general agent representing the UK market of Bamboo Airways, APG UK will support Bamboo Airways in terms of procedures and policies with the host government for its air transport services.

It will also help promote sales and marketing activities, market research, and coordinate in the management of customer service policies, customer care and flight operations in the UK.

Chairman of FLC Group and Bamboo Airways Trinh Van Quyet said that, after being put into operation, this direct air route will help enhance trade and investment connections between the two countries, thus enabling Vietnam to connect with a world-leading development region in Europe.

Notably, this route will open up a potential tourism market as the number of visitors from the UK to Vietnam ranks second in Europe, while simultaneously facilitating trade exchanges and visits between the two countries, Quyet added.

The Vietnam-UK direct air route directly operated by Bamboo Airway, is expected to contribute to strongly promoting the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, creating a solid foundation for both sides to intensify exchanges across a variety of fields.

In order to serve international flights as well as the UK direct route in a convenient and safe manner, Bamboo Airways has been actively cooperating with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in the application of IATA electronic health passports toward applying IATA Travel Pass on next international flights in the time ahead./.

The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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