Vietnam attends 17th Francophonie Summit in Armenia

The Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. The two-day summit brings together nearly 3,500 delegates from 84 member countries and territories of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and its observers. 

Vietnam also reiterated its commitments to multilateralism as well as multilateral diplomacy, especially in its role as a key OIF member in the Asia-Pacific. 

The 17th Francophonie Summit takes place with the theme “Living together in solidarity, sharing humanist values, and respect for diversity: Sources of peace and prosperity in the Francophone space”.

It is held in the context of recent global challenges – such as terrorism, disease, water resource and food security, environmental pollution, climate change, and international migration – having caused adverse impact on peace and development in many countries, including OIF members. 

Therefore, the event offers an opportunity for the countries to seek measures to enhance cooperation in response to such challenges. 

Over the past time, Vietnam has constructively and responsibly participated in OIF activities, tangibly contributing to cooperation within the community. 

Following the plenary session, Deputy PM Minh and Ambassador Duong Chi Dung – head of the Vietnam Permanent Mission to the UN, the WTO, and other international organisations in Geneva – attended a retreat on the world’s situation. 

The Yerevan Declaration, as well as several other key resolutions and documents, will be adopted at the event. 

During bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, Vietnam plans to mobilise support for its run for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2020-2021. 

Deputy PM Minh is expected to deliver a speech at a session on October 12.

Established in 1970, the OIF’s mission is to engage active solidarity between its 84 member states and governments (58 members and 26 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and account for a population of over 900 million people, including 274 million French speakers.

The IOF organises multilateral cooperation political activities and actions that benefit French-speaking populations. Its actions respect cultural and linguistic diversity and serve to promote the French language, peace, and sustainable development.