Paris (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-rankingdelegation of Vietnam on November 5 afternoon (local time) left Paris,concluding his official visit to France from November 3 at the invitation ofhis French counterpart Jean Castex.

During his stay, the PM held talks with his Frenchcounterpart Jean Castex, and had meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron,President of the Senate Gerald Larcher, President of the National Assembly RichardFerrand, and Fabien Roussel, National Secretary of the French Communist Party.

At meetings, all issues raised by both sides were reachedhigh consensus. Both sides affirmed their determination to deepen the countries’strategic partnership.

Vietnam and France affirmed solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 pandemicand the importance of promoting fair, equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.

The two countries reaffirmed their wish to bolster cooperation amid commonchallenges like climate change, and showed their resolve to deepen collaborationin culture, especially French teaching, and in law and justice. They underlinedthat science and technology as well as tertiary education are among priorityareas in bilateral cooperation.

The two countries’ leaders agreed to continue promoting people-to-peopleexchange, increase collaboration between localities of Vietnam and France.

The French side pledged to accompany Vietnam in sustainable development,especially within major infrastructure projects. They reaffirmed their wish tocontinue partnering together in satellite and use of satellite images in variousareas such as agriculture, hydrometeorology, climate change response anddisaster risk prevention.
 
Vietnam welcomed France’s investments in logistics and seaport infrastructure, facilitationfor trade between the two countries and commitment to maintaining cooperationin the field to prevent supply chain interruption; and collaboration insustainable urban area, particularly in Hanoi with transport, urban planningand wholesale market projects in the future.

On international and regional issues, Vietnam and France agreed to exertefforts to work toward enhancing partnerships between the European Union andVietnam and the EU and ASEAN within the framework of the EU’s Indo-Pacificstrategy and France’s tenure as President of the EU in the first half of 2022.

Vietnam and France reaffirmed full respect for the 1982 United Nations onConvention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the peaceful settlement ofdisputes, refraining from acts that use or threat to use force. They affirmedthe importance of maintaining safety and freedom of navigation and aviation inall seas and oceans, especially in the East Sea, on the basis of abiding byprinciples of international law.

Also within the visit's framework, PM Chinh received many leading enterprises of France and Europe and attended the France-Vietnam Business Forum.

He witnessed signing and handover ceremonies of nearly 40 cooperation and economic agreements in multiple fields, notably those of great significance and values such as a cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam and the Council of State of France for 2021-26 and an administrative agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation on the recognition of certificates and training process, along with memoranda of understanding between Vietnamese airlines and Safran Group. 

One of priorities that the Vietnamese PM touched on during his meetings was cooperation between the two countries in health care, especially pandemic prevention and control and development of preventive medicine. 

He met with Managing Director of the COVAX Facility Aurélia Nguyen, physicians and medical experts in France and visited the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

The PM received leaders of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV), Vietnamese Ambassadors to European nations, staff at the embassies and overseas Vietnamese (OV) in France and Europe.

The Party and State always view the OVs as an inseparable part and a driving force of the country’s development, which has been demonstrated via the Politburo's Resolution No.36, Directive No.45 and Conclusion No.12-KL/TW on the OV affairs in the new situation, he affirmed.

He said the OVs are expected to uphold solidarity in the countries they reside, contribute to realising the external policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralism; active and proactive international integration; and being a friend, a trustworthy partner and a responsible member of the international community./.