The Swedish ambassador stated this at a press briefing in Hanoi on July 1 to mark his country assuming the EU presidency on the same day.            

According to the diplomat, the UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009 is expected to benefit the countries that are being severely affected by climate change, including Vietnam. The EU is willing to work with Vietnam to prepare and negotiate a new treaty on climate change to be signed at the upcoming summit in Copenhagen, said the ambassador.

Sean Doyle, ambassador and head of the EC Delegation to Vietnam, noted that the EU has carried out many cooperation programmes with Vietnam in a number of fields, and it will continue to promote ties with Vietnam in the spirit of the long-standing relationship between Vietnam and Sweden. He also expressed hopes that the EU and Vietnam will finish the negotiations of their partnership and cooperation agreement before the 8^th ASEM summit, which is being held in Belgium in October 2010.

The agreement covers a wide range of issues, including the environment, climate change, development cooperation, trade, and science and technology. It will replace the 1995 EU-Vietnam framework agreement on cooperation.