Vietnam hopes for stronger partnership with France

During his phone talks with French PM Jean Castex, PM Chinh noted with pleasure the fruitful developments of the bilateral ties over the past time.

The French leader spoke highly of the strategic partnership, saying Vietnam is also a leading partner of France in the region.

French PM J. Castex praised Vietnam’s position and role in the region and the world as well, particularly achievements the country has recorded in COVID-19 containment and socio-economic development.

The PMs agreed to share experience in the pandemic combat, help each other with COVID-19 vaccines and coordinate in economic recovery after the pandemic.

They will also work together to optimise the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and speed up the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The leaders consented to facilitate the export of Vietnamese agricultural and fishery products to France, especially fruits that are under harvest like lychee, mango, dragon fruit and passion fruit.

Joint efforts should be made to urge the EC to remove its “yellow card” on Vietnam’s fisheries, helping the country’s fishery sector develop sustainably, they said.

The PMs agreed to assign competent agencies of the two countries to promote effective cooperation in aerospace, energy, national defence and security, sustainable city building, infrastructure development, and culture.

Vietnamese Government leader Chinh called on the French government to further support the Vietnamese community in the country, particularly in the face of COVID-19.

The leaders also stressed the effective coordination between Vietnam and France at multilateral forums over the past time, notably the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), ASEAN and the Francophonie, and concurred to tighten the coordination in regional and global issues in the time ahead.

Regarding the East Sea/the South China Sea issue, they shared the view on the significance of ensuring the freedom of navigation, aviation, security and peace in the waters, as well as the role of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

The PMs used the occasion to exchange invitations to visit their respective countries in the coming time.