The visit of President of the French National Assembly (NA) Claude Bartolone to Vietnam marks an important milestone in Vietnam-France relations, said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on March 20.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) and President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone at the reception.

Trong made the remarks at a reception for the French legislative leader in Hanoi.

The General Secretary thanked the French government and people for assisting Vietnam in socio-economic development, poverty reduction and global integration over the past years.

He proposed further support from the NA of France in developing the bilateral ties through high-level delegation and people-to-people exchange, enhancing trade-investment, education-training, science-technology and climate change mitigation at national and local levels.

The Party leader also expressed his delight at the French NA ratifying Vietnam-EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) and Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement.

For his part, NA President Claude Bartolone congratulated Trong on his re-election as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

France regards Vietnam as a key partner in the region, he said, affirming the country’s policy to boost ties with Vietnam as well as its support for Vietnam’s development orientations adopted by the 12 th National Party Congress earlier this year.

France will continue implementing its commitments with Vietnam in line with the two nations’ Strategic Partnership inked in September 2013, Bartolone noted.

He said he will work to foster ties between the two National Assemblies towards the further development of Vietnam-France relations.

He also reiterated his support of Vietnam’s views that disputes in the East Sea should be settled peacefully in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The French National Assembly President is in an official visit to Vietnam from March 18-21 as guest of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

VNA