Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: VNA)

During the meeting, Macron welcomed the official visit to France by PM Chinh during his first trip to Europe as Prime Minister of Vietnam. He spoke highly of Vietnam’s role and position in the region, and expressed his wish to further deepen the Vietnam-France strategic partnership.

The French President thanked Vietnam for giving medical masks to France when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, and announced that France will provide Vietnam with an additional 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine through the bilateral channel and 970,000 other doses through the Covax mechanism.

PM Chinh thanked France for the support in vaccine and medical supplies and said he hoped the European country will continue to help Vietnam in medical supplies and the production technology of medicine for COVID-19 treatment.

The two leaders hailed the effective Vietnam-France cooperation in many fields and agreed to build annual plans with specific tasks to further deepen the two countries’ strategic partnership.

The French side said it is ready to coordinate with Vietnam to prepare for the 12th conference on localities’ cooperation in Hanoi at the end of next year.

The two sides noted the need to further strengthen the pillar of economic, trade and investment cooperation in the Vietnam-France strategic partnership. They agreed upon directions and measures to further facilitate trade exchange, and accelerate cooperative projects in key fields.

At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The French President appreciated bilateral cultural exchange and proposed that the two countries continue to facilitate the activities of the French Institute in Vietnam and the Vietnam Culture Centre in France.

PM Chinh shared the French leader’s view, and asked France to maintain and increase cooperative projects in health care. He hailed the programme on teaching French and teaching in French in Vietnam, adding that he hoped France will create more favourable conditions for the exchange of pupils and students, increase scholarships and train more public administrative personnel for Vietnam.

He appreciated France’s coordination with Vietnam at multilateral forums, particularly during the time Vietnam serves as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. He asked France to work as a bridge to promote ties between Vietnam, as well as the ASEAN, and the EU, particularly when France assumes the Presidency of the EU in January 2022.

The two sides agreed to actively implement and optimize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement and push the process of ratifying the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement.

President Macron said France is willing to promote cooperation with Vietnam in developing sustainable fisheries, and pledged to study and work with the European Commission on the early removal of the yellow card against Vietnam’s aquatic products.

Discussing international and regional issues of shared concern, the French President said France’s Indo-Pacific strategy attaches importance to ASEAN’s centrality and the ensuring of security, safety and freedom of maritime and aviation. He stressed his support of the settlement of disputes by peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, particularly concerning the East Sea issue.

PM Chinh hailed France’s role and position in the EU and the international arena, and welcomed countries, including France, to bring into play their role and responsibility to contribute to common peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The two leaders agreed to issue a joint statement on the occasion of PM Chinh’s visit to France.

Chinh conveyed invitations to visit Vietnam from Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to President Macron, who accepted the invitation with pleasure.

PM lauds legislatures’ contributions to Vietnam-France ties

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and French National Assembly President Richard Ferrand (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spoke highly of the important contributions of Vietnamese and French legislatures to the relations between the two countries and cooperation between their localities, at a meeting with French National Assembly President Richard Ferrand on November 4.

Chinh, on a three-day official visit to France at the invitation of his French counterpart Jean Castex, repeated his thanks to the French State and Government for their donation of 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines via the bilateral mechanism and another 1 million doses via the COVAX Facility, saying that it is a manifestation of the close ties and strategic partnership between Vietnam and France.

For his part, Ferrand affirmed that France attaches importance to Vietnam’s role and position in the region, and lauded the country’s efforts in pandemic containment and economic recovery over the past time.

The leaders shared the view on the Vietnam-France special historic relationship with close bonds in many aspects, and expressed their resolve to deepen the strategic partnership across many spheres.

They said countries should uphold the sense of responsibility to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Ferrand emphasised the significance of maintaining security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation at seas and oceans, including the East Sea, on the basis of compliance to principles of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

PM Chinh suggested the French legislative body coordinate with the French Government to effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and support the early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

He also called on the French legislative body to back Vietnam in efforts to get the European Commission (EC) to remove the “yellow card” against Vietnamese fishery products, especially when France holds the EU Presidency in January 2022.

The PM thanked the French Government and parliament for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country, especially amid COVID-19, and noted his wish for further assistance in the time ahead.

Ferrand highly valued the Vietnamese community for their integration and successes in France.

PM Chinh conveyed an invitation to visit Vietnam from NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to the French NA leader. Ferrand accepted the invitation with pleasure and said he is ready to welcome Hue to France early.

Party cooperation significantly contributes to Vietnam-France ties: PM

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and Fabien Roussel, National Secretary of the French Communist Party at their meeting on November 4 (Photo: VNA)

Cooperation between the communist parties of Vietnam and France has significantly contributed to the nations’ strategic partnership and connected their peoples, stated Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh while receiving Fabien Roussel, National Secretary of the French Communist Party, on November 4.

At the reception, he lauded the bilateral work done in marking 110 years since President Ho Chi Minh arrived in Marseille, his first destination in France as part of his journey to look for ways for national salvation.

The PM highlighted that the Vietnamese Party, State, ad people always value the solidarity and valuable support from French communists and people for Vietnam in its past struggles for independence and current national protection and development causes.

Chinh informed his guest on development orientations of Vietnam put forth at the 13th National Party Congress and outcomes of his meetings with French leaders. He lauded measures agreed between the sides to deepen the bilateral ties.

For his part, Fabien Roussel believed Chinh’s current official visit to France will create an impetus for the countries’ ties to continue to develop strongly in the future.

Praising Vietnam’s achievements in COVID-19 prevention and control, he affirmed that he will continue calling on French partners and pharmaceutical companies to help Vietnam.

Considering the relationship between the two communist parties a special and historical one, he stated leaders and members of his party always follow the progress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

French communists have always been supporting and will continue to do their best to contribute to strengthening the sound cooperation relations between the parties, countries and the peoples of Vietnam and France.

Chinh took the occasion to convey Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s invitation for Fabien Roussel to visit Vietnam, which he accepted with delight./.

Source: VNA