Vietnam plans to develop comprehensive co-operation with the European Union, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan at a conference on developing a master plan and an action plan for Vietnam-EU relations up to 2010, which opened in Hanoi on September 7.

"The Vietnamese Government decided to build a master plan and an action plan up to 2010 and towards 2015 in order to make the relationship more practical and effective," he stressed.

Deputy PM Khoan said the plans cover all spheres, with political relations being the premise, and economic ties - material basis, and cultural co-operation - being the spiritual basis for Vietnam-EU co-operation.

Talking with the press during the conference's break, Deputy PM Khoan said the EU was the first choice for Vietnam because the union has been and will be Vietnam's leading partner, which is expanding and having an important role in the world.

The EU also was the first foreign partner to resume its relations with Vietnam and has supported the country's policy on renovation and international integration. In 1995, it signed a framework agreement on co-operation with Vietnam. In 2004, it was the first partner to finish negotiations on Vietnam's bid to join the World Trade Organisation.

British Ambassador to Vietnam Peter Gordon, who is holding the rotating Presidency of the EU, said: "The EU member states warmly applauded the thinking behind the Vietnam - EU Masterplan. We are particularly gratified that you have chosen to start this new experiment with us. And we are ready to work with you to make it a success."

"To be meaningful to both our societies, the Masterplan must be a two-way street, a sharing of objectives between both parties. That is why EU member states were grateful for the opportunities given by Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen and Minister for the Office of Government Doan Manh Giao to feed in some reflections in the drafting process earlier this year," he further said.

Christopher Wiesner, Charge d'affaires at the European Commission Delegation to Vietnam, said the Masterplan reflects the fact that Vietnam considers the EU to be its most important partner. The EU also considers Vietnam to be its key partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which acts as a bridge for developing the relationship between the EU and ASEAN.