Paris (VNA)🧸 – Vietnamese Ambassador to France DinhToan Thang has said Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son’s attendance atthe 2023 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) and official visit toFrance from June 5-8 would provide anopportunity to reaffirm the common perception of the vision of the bilateral relations and the determination to promote deeper and closer connections between the two countries,particularly in meeting their requirements in the new context.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Paris, Thang said it is the first visit to France by aVietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs since the two countries upgraded their relationshipto a strategic partnership a decade ago. It is also meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary oftheir strategic partnership. He added that the visit alsodemonstrates the important interference of the foreignpolicies of Vietnam and France, which both strongly head towards cooperation, peace, security anddevelopment. As a key player in Europe, France is actively following a dynamicand comprehensive policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, Vietnam,with its active and proactive integration policy, along with developmentachievements and growth potential, is enhancing its position in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) andregional cooperation mechanisms, while continuing to vigorously pursue aforeign policy of independence, self-reliance and tightening relations withkey partners in Europe. The visit will contribute toexploring new directions of cooperation to meet the urgent and diverserequirements of the current period, including sustainable development, enhancingself-reliance, and consolidating the two countries' positions amidst theongoing global economic shifts. The ambassador affirmed thatVietnam and France are standing in front of numerous opportunities to elevate theircooperation to a new height in the coming years and decades, driven by thedetermination of leaders, the support of people from walks of life, and theactive engagement of partners across all fields. According to the diplomat, while in France, Son is scheduledto meet the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Secretary-General of the InternationalOrganisation of La Francophonie (OIF), and the Secretary-General of the OECD tofurther deepen relations with these organisations. As the Co-Chair of the OECD SoutheastAsia Regional Programme (SEARP) for the 2022-2025 period, Vietnam is makingpositive contributions to promoting relations between the OECD and SoutheastAsia, he said, adding that Vietnam has been actively joined in activities ofthe OECD Development Centre in various fields, including economy, finance,education, gender equality, and more. Every year, Vietnam makes significantcontributions to the OECD Development Centre's Economic Outlook reports forSoutheast Asia, China, and India. In 2024, Vietnam, together with Australia andother members of the SEARP Office, will organise important events to mark the10th anniversary of the SEARP. Commenting on the prospects ofcooperation between Vietnam and the OECD, Thang stressed that the OECDcurrently has practical projects to assist Vietnam in reviewing theeffectiveness of policies and development needs of the economy, such as digitaleconomy and green growth. In the financial sector, Vietnam has officiallyjoined in the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and signed theMultilateral Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters(MAAC), which are important steps towards transparency in Vietnam's tax andfinancial system during its integration with the global financial system. The OECD MCM 2023 will be the firstattended by Vietnam at the ministerial level, where the country is expected to make practical contributions to the meeting's focal themes. Atthis year's event, the OECD also aims to strengthen cooperation with Southeast Asia and beyond, including the Indo-Pacific. For the first time, theOECD will establish a framework for the Indo-Pacific to shape a common policyfor the region./.