Vietnam treasures all-around relations with France
VOV.VN - Vietnam always places importance on developing its comprehensive relations with France, through all the Government, legislature and party channels, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said during his meeting with President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher in Paris on June 6.
FM Son also had a working session with the French Senate’s Vice President Pierre Laurent, who is also former National Secretary of the French Communist Party.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership, the Vietnamese diplomat suggested Vietnam and France continue strengthening friendship exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation across multiple fields.
The host leaders laid stress on the close-knit ties between Vietnamese and French peoples, and expressed their confidence that Son’s visit will contribute to deepen the strategic partnership.
Larcher hailed the success of the 12th Vietnam-France decentralized cooperation conference, which was held in Hanoi last April, saying the event served as an important cooperation mechanism in order to strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two nations.
The French Senate President voiced his hope that the two sides will closely coordinate in carrying out economic projects, and expanding their collaboration in potential fields like green transition and climate change.
The French side took note of Vietnam’s proposal to offer optimal conditions for the Vietnamese community in France, helping them maintain their role as the bridge between the two nations.
The two sides concurred to boost parliamentary ties, especially through all-level delegation exchanges, and close coordination and support at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, and to promote activities of friendship parliamentarians groups.
They will also work hand in hand to step up economic cooperation – an important pillar of the strategic partnership -, and continue to fully and effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
The host leaders also acknowledged Vietnam’s proposal on the early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to fully tap cooperation potential in investment, and on urging the European Commission (EC) to soon remove its “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood.
Both side agreed to further boost coordination at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations (UN), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the Francophone Community, and bolster the ASEAN-EU cooperation.
They compared notes on the importance of tightening the cooperation framework between Vietnam and France in dealing with regional and global issues, particularly in ensuring freedom, security and safety of navigation and aviation, maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, and settling disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).