France wants to further promote the Strategic Partnership with Vietnam
That was one of the contents informed when Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received French Ambassador Olivier Brochet on the occasion of starting his term in Vietnam on the afternoon of April 4, at the Government Headquarters.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam and France have a friendly, traditional relationship, closely connected in all aspects, from history, political relations, economic cooperation to culture-arts and people; affirming that Vietnam always considers France an important partner in its foreign policy.
Through the Ambassador, the Prime Minister conveyed the regards and invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to French President Emmanuel Macron to visit Vietnam, and expressed his hope to soon have the opportunity to welcome French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to visit Vietnam to discuss and further promote the strategic partnership between the two countries.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh believes that with his extensive experience in diplomacy, Ambassador Olivier Brochet will make many important contributions to bringing the Strategic Partnership to a new height; relevant Vietnamese agencies will create the best possible conditions for the Ambassador to fulfill his duties and have a successful term of office.
The Prime Minister suggested that the two sides continue to promote delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level visits; implement the results of the high-level phone call between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Emmanuel Macron in October 2023, as well as inter-sectoral cooperation mechanisms between the two countries.
The Prime Minister highly appreciated France's role, voice and initiatives at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN-EU, and Francophone...; and affirmed that Vietnam is ready to closely coordinate with France to respond to global challenges.
The Prime Minister suggested that the two countries continue to fully and effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); hoped that France would soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); encouraged French enterprises to strengthen cooperation and investment in the fields of high technology, digital transformation, green transformation, pharmaceuticals, etc.; actively seek new areas of economic cooperation suitable to the needs and interests of both sides, open to each other's strong products; asked France to support and urge the EC to soon remove the IUU "yellow card" for Vietnamese seafood.
The Prime Minister proposed that France increase scholarships for Vietnamese students and continue to support and create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in France to do business, study and live, in order to promote its role as an economic and cultural bridge between the two countries.
Ambassador Olivier Brochet thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for taking the time to meet him; said that President Emmanuel Macron still holds a deep impression of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to France in 2021.
Ambassador Olivier Brochet expressed his appreciation for the friendship and trust between Vietnam and France; affirmed that France highly values the position and role of Vietnam and wishes to continue promoting the Strategic Partnership between the two countries to develop more deeply and comprehensively in the coming time, especially making efforts to effectively implement the three pillars of cooperation mentioned in the high-level phone call between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Emmanuel Macron.
The French Ambassador also thanked the Vietnamese side for the invitation and said that French Minister of the Army Sébastien Lecornu, along with the Secretary of State in charge of veterans and war memories, will visit Vietnam and attend the 70th Anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory next May, in the spirit of "closing the past, looking towards the future" and cooperating for the development of the two countries and peoples.
Ambassador Olivier Brochet affirmed that France supports the stance of ASEAN and Vietnam on ensuring security, safety, freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.