Nghe An province delegation visits and works in France
The delegation of Nghe An province led by comrade Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee visited and worked in France for 2 days, October 10 and 11.
On the afternoon of October 10 (local time), the delegation attended the Vietnam - France Local and Business Connection Conference chaired by the Vietnamese Embassy in France in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the provinces of Ha Nam and Kon Tum.
Attending the conference were comrades: Dinh Toan Thang - Vietnamese Ambassador to France; Nguyen Dong Trung - Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Virginie Rouquette - General Director of the French Local Association (CUF); Mr. Do Hai Nam - Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in France and representatives of 6 localities of the French Republic participating online.
On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrades: Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Tran Khanh Thuc - Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs; representatives of the Provincial People's Committee Office, the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone.
Speaking at the conference, Comrade Dinh Toan Thang - Vietnamese Ambassador to France expressed his pleasure to welcome the delegations from Nghe An, Ha Nam and Kon Tum provinces to visit and work in France. The Ambassador informed the delegates about the cooperation activities between Vietnam and France in the recent past, especially the visit and work of General Secretary and President To Lam, and emphasized the cooperation needs between the localities of the two countries in the past time and suggested areas that the localities should pay attention to in the coming time.
Speaking at the conference, the Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee thanked the Ambassador and the Embassy staff for taking the time to welcome the delegation. Especially for the Ambassador's effective support in connecting and carefully arranging the delegation's activities in France, especially the organization of the Conference connecting localities and Vietnamese - French enterprises in Paris.
The Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee introduced the overview, potential and strengths of the province to the delegates attending the conference in person and online; at the same time, discussed the needs and opportunities for cooperation between Nghe An and French partners. In the past, Nghe An province has also had a number of cooperative activities with France, however, the results are still limited. Therefore, on this occasion, comrade Bui Dinh Long suggested that the Vietnamese Embassy in France, the Association of French localities, and the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in France pay attention to supporting Nghe An province in activities to contact French enterprises; create a bridge to introduce enterprises to learn about and invest in Nghe An province in high-tech fields such as semiconductors, manufacturing industry, production of materials, electronic components, financial services, banking; fields that meet the requirements of innovation, digital economy, green economy, circular economy, knowledge economy, sharing economy, climate change response economy, new energy, renewable energy for sustainable development...
On October 11, the delegation worked with the French Development Agency (AFD). At the meeting with the delegation, Mr. Cyrille Beller - Director of the Asia Department, AFD expressed his pleasure to welcome and work with the Vietnamese local delegation. He also informed the delegation about AFD's activities in Vietnam over the past 30 years with a committed capital of up to 3 billion Euros, of which, loans without government guarantees accounted for 25%, loans with government guarantees accounted for 71% and non-refundable aid accounted for 4%.
AFD's main activities focus on the following core areas: climate change adaptation, green transition, global warming, rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion. In 2024, AFD aims to commit 160 million Euros in funding, sign 223 million Euros, and disburse 100 million Euros.
In Nghe An province, AFD is implementing the project “Improving urban infrastructure in Hoang Mai, Nghe An province” under the project “Improving urban infrastructure to adapt to climate change for 4 coastal provinces of North Central Vietnam”.
Speaking at the meeting with AFD, the Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee thanked AFD for funding the Hoang Mai Urban Infrastructure Improvement Project, and believed that the project would bring practical benefits to the locality. In the coming time, Nghe An province hopes that AFD will continue to pay attention to consulting and supporting Nghe An province in a number of areas, including sustainable tourism projects associated with climate change response.
On the same day, October 11, the delegation worked with Mr. Denis Barbet - Deputy Director of the Department of Local Government and Civil Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France. On behalf of the Nghe An delegation, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee briefly discussed the cooperation activities between Nghe An and France, including the twinning cooperation with Côtes D'Armor province in the period 1993-2015. Currently, the two provinces continue to carry out educational exchange and cooperation activities through the Côtes d'Armor - Vietnam Friendship Association.
In the coming time, in order to promote cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities, the Director of the French Department of Local Government and Civil Society said that he will forward information and needs of Vietnamese localities to regions and localities of France, in order to promote bilateral cooperation activities between the two sides, especially in the context of the two countries' high-ranking leaders agreeing to declare upgrading relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.