France will help Vietnam train peacekeeping forces

The international conference “France-Europe-Vietnam since 1954” took place over three days, January 16-18, in Paris, France, discussing in-depth topics such as defense, political, economic, trade, cultural, scientific, educational cooperation, etc.

France-Vietnam defense cooperation workshop. Photo: Paris Branch

During the 3-day conference, delegates spoke and discussed in-depth topics such as defense, political, economic, trade, cultural, scientific, educational cooperation, etc.

On January 16, within the framework of the conference on defense cooperation, delegates reviewed major milestones in the France-Vietnam cooperation relationship, starting with the opening of the defense attaché office in 1991 at the French Embassy in Vietnam, cooperation in the field of military medicine, then expanding to officer training at the French Defense Academy and the Saint-Cyr military academy, exchanges of high-level delegations, French naval ships visiting Vietnam, etc.

Assessing the recent French-Vietnamese defense cooperation, Lieutenant Colonel Nadia-Piercy said that this is a dynamic and positive field, with rich and diverse activities. France will help Vietnam train peacekeeping forces within the framework of the United Nations.

Previously, the two sides mentioned the official visit of French President François Hollande and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Vietnam this year.

Regarding the prospects for defense cooperation in the coming time, Major General Daniel Schaeffer, former first French military attaché to Vietnam, said that the prospects are huge, not only in the field of providing military technology but also in the field of officer training, training so that the Vietnamese army can use modern equipment.

He emphasized the legal cooperation between the two countries regarding the East Sea: “Bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and France is progressing very well, but it needs to be expanded to cooperation between European countries and Southeast Asian countries to ensure freedom of navigation in international waters.”

The large-scale workshop gathered historians, experts and witnesses to comprehensively assess the relationship between Vietnam, France and Europe since the Geneva Agreement on peace in Vietnam was signed in 1954, and to highlight the prospects for comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and France with the two countries officially upgrading their bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership during the official visit to the French Republic in September 2013 by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

After the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, which ended the French colonial war of aggression in Vietnam, relations between Vietnam and France went through a difficult period. In 1973, Vietnam and France established diplomatic relations, opening a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries.

Over the past 40 years, France and Vietnam have built the foundation for a special relationship, through many agreements and cooperation mechanisms in a wide range of fields. These relationships have been nurtured by the States, Governments and people of the two countries, and have grown stronger and more substantial, becoming the excellent friendship and cooperation relationship we have today. In parallel with that relationship, the France-Vietnam dialogue has also expanded into a multilateral dialogue, especially through the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

The conference was organized by the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbone and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) in collaboration with a number of partners from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense. The conference is part of the Vietnam-France and France-Vietnam Exchange Year 2013-2014 and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France.

According to Vietnam+