(VNA) - The United Kingdom (UK) fully supports Viet Nam's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and will continue to help the country reach its development goals once it becomes a WTO member, said Robert Gordon, Ambassador of the UK to Viet Nam, at a press briefing in Ha Noi on June 27.

Gordon further said that the UK will also back the Vietnamese Government in implementing the goals of economic growth and poverty reduction set in its development plan for the next five years, and will continue to assist Viet Nam in fighting corruption and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The UK hopes that Viet Nam will take a more active part in global issues, including the fight against organised crime, illegal immigration, and international terrorism, he added.

The ambassador said the UK will also contribute to boosting all-round cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Viet Nam when it holds the Presidency of the EU in the second half of this year.

He spoke of several initiatives which will be carried out till the end of 2005 to promote mutual understanding and cooperative ties between Viet Nam and the EU in general and between Viet Nam and the UK in particular. Among them, the most noteworthy initiative is "Overcoming WTO challenges", which aims to assist Viet Nam in its initial stage of WTO membership.

The UK annually provides Viet Nam with almost 100 million USD in non-refundable aid, making it one of the biggest providers of non-refundable aid for the country. Two-way trade between the two countries reached 1.2 billion USD in 2004. The UK is also one of the largest European investors in Viet Nam with a total investment capital of 2.2 billion USD.