Paris (VNA) – Vietnam and France need to do more to develop their ties, especially in economics, trade and investment, in a result-orientated manner to me𓄧et the respective countries’ current developmental requirements.

The view was reached by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Senate Speaker Gerard Larcher and Speaker of the Lower House Claude Bartelone of France during their separate meetings in Paris on December 1. The meetings took place on the sidelines of the 21 st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21). PM Nguyen Tan Dung delivered the Vietnamese people’s sympathy with the French parliament and people over losses and pains caused by the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13. The Speakers thanked the Vietnamese people for their solidarity with the French people in those difficult time and spoke highly of the country’s participation in and positive contributions to COP21 as well as her determination to join international efforts to respond to challenges posed by climate change. Both hosts and guest showed their delight with the growing Vietnam-France relations as well as the affiliation between the two law-making bodies over recent time. PM Nguyen Tan Dung said the bond of traditional friendship between the two nations allowed the two countries to weather difficulties to become friends and then strategic partners. He thanked the Senate, the Lower House and the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group for their support and contributions to the consolidation of development of the bilateral cooperation and friendship. The Senate Speaker stated that his agency regards Vietnam as a priority partner in Asia-Pacific and supports strengthened cooperation between the two countries across sectors. Meanwhile, Speaker Claude Bartelone said the Lower House always wants Vietnam and France to become each other’s trustful partners and praised Vietnam’s heightening role in the region and ASEAN. PM Nguyen Tan Dung informed the Speakers of the 10 th conference on cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities, which is scheduled for September 2016 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. He expressed his hope that the Senate and the Lower House will back and encourage French localities to attend the conference. The Speakers lauded the event and affirmed their agencies’ support for the localities’ participation. They emphasised the role of the Vietnamese community in France in preserving and growing the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and welcomed intensified people-to-people and student exchanges over recent years. PM Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that France is Vietnam’s big economic, trade and investment partner, asking the Senate and the Lower House to continue backing and facilitating businesspeople connectivity and the French Government’s maintenance of cooperation and support for Vietnam to achieve its sustainable development goals. He also suggested the Senate and the Lower House complete their ratification of the Vietnam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and support the early signing and prompt implementation of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The Speakers pledged support for the multi-dimensional ties between Vietnam and the EU as well as the quick ratification of PCA. They said they will rally the French Government to support the EVFTA as part of efforts to contribute to broadening cooperation potential and deepening the Vietnam-EU comprehensive strategic partnership in general and the Vietnam-France strategic partnership in particular. Both hosts and guest touched upon the situation in the East Sea and the developments that threatened navigation and aviation security, safety and freedom in the waters that houses the huge maritime route linking Asia and Europe. The Speakers stressed that maritime security and safety are always France’s high priority, agreeing that the disputes should be addressed peacefully through negotiations with respect to international law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.-VNA