Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (4th from R) and President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher (4th from L) at their meeting in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Vietnam has constantly worked to deepen its traditionalfriendship, trust and strategic partnership with France, he noted.
Expressing his delight at the strong development of the Vietnam-France strategic partnership acrossfields, the PM affirmed that France is a leading trade, investment, and ODA partner ofVietnam in Europe. He hoped the sides further step up their all-leveldelegation exchange and cooperation, particularly in economy, commerce, andinvestment.
He suggested that the two sides focus on fully andeffectively implementing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to takeadvantage of the great opportunities it offers.
He wished France to create favourable conditions forVietnamese exports, especially agricultural and aquatic products, to access theFrench market; and encouraged French firms to continue investing in Vietnam in such areas they have strengths as digital and green transformation, andrenewable energy.
The government leader said Vietnam hopes that France will soon completethe ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) inorder to create a driving force for promoting investment relations between thenations on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, hence favourable conditionsfor French enterprises to invest and do business in Vietnam.
He also requested that France support Vietnam in having the EC’s yellow-cardwarning for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing soon removed.
PM Chinh proposed that the French side consider increasing thenumber of scholarships for Vietnamese students; and facilitating student and researcher exchange. He also called for stronger cultural cooperation and more support from France for Vietnam's restoration,maintenance, and preservation of local French cultural relics and UNESCO-recognised heritage.
The PM also asked his guest to back collaboration betweenVietnamese and French localities in areas of France’s strength like cleanwater, environment, and afforestation.
He hoped the French authorities will further createfavourable conditions for the Vietnamese expatriate community, whose populationamounts to some 300,000.
Agreeing with Chinh’s proposals, Larcher stated that Vietnamplays a very important role in France's foreign policy and France will continue to do its best to promote the bilateral friendship andcooperation toward practical outcome and effectiveness.
Emphasising that economic, trade and investment collaborationis always a bright spot in the Vietnam-France ties, the Senate Presidentthanked the Vietnamese Government's goodwill for always assisting and facilitatingFrench businesses to seek opportunities and expand their operations in Vietnamfor mutual benefits.
Thanking Vietnam for supporting his country’s cooperationwith ASEAN countries, Larcher affirmed that France will take practical actionsto aid Vietnam in stepping up joint works with the EU in economy, trade andinvestment, among others.
France wishes to further team up with Vietnam in such areas asagriculture, food security, transportation, and culture, education-training, andpreservation and restoration of architectural and cultural works, he added.
He pledged to hold discussions with leaders of French relevantagencies with regard to the EVIPA and yellow card issues.
Saying it is necessary to ensure freedom, security andsafety of navigation and aviation, and to maintain peace and stability in theEast Sea, the two leaders affirmed the settlement of disputes must be done bypeaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.
VNA
