(VOV) - Vietnam and France have signed a joint statement on upgrading their relations to a strategic partnership, opening a new chapter in cooperative relations between the two countries.
The official upgrade of Vietnam-France relationship was agreed during the talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault in Paris on September 25.
The two PMs consented to implement an action plan to realize the newly-signed joint statement on Vietnam-France strategic partnership with a focus on six strategic cooperation areas—politics-diplomacy, national security-defence, economics-trade-investment, development –cooperation, culture-education-training, scientific research, justice and the environment.
They underlined the need to continue create favourable conditions for entrepreneurs and investors to promote partner connectivity and increase their presence in each country.
The two government leaders agreed to strengthen delegation exchange through bilateral visits or meetings on the sidelines of international conferences in the time to come.
Host and guest said it is essential to step up cooperation at international forums within the UN, ASEM, ASEAN-EU frameworks as well as the Francophone community.
Dung suggested France give ODA priority to Vietnam’s urban technical infrastructure development, clean energy, vocational training, agricultural production, bio-diversity preservation and environmental protection projects.
French PM Jean-Marc Ayrault applauded Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements, its great efforts to overcome the economic crisis and the country’s increasing international status.
Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Dung greatly values France’s support for Vietnam’s consistent stance of solving disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures on the basis of respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully implementing the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and building a Code of the Conduct in the East Sea (COC) as early as possible.
After the talks, the two prime ministers witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents on healthcare, banking supervision, trade promotion, transport infrastructure development and oil and gas.
Meeting with the media on the same day, Dung and Jean-Marc Ayrault reiterated their strong resolve and political will to foster bilateral ties in the future in line with the two people’s expectation.
*** Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reaffirmed Vietnam’s unswerving policy of attaching great importance to developing ties with France at a September 25 meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris.
PM Dung asked France to maintain its ODA provision for Vietnam’s projects on urban infrastructure development, clean energy, vocational training, agriculture, environmental protection and biodiversity preservation.
Vietnam wants France to grant more scholarships to its students, he added.
President Francois Hollande said the new strategic partnership represents a significant milestone in stronger bilateral cooperation in all fields.
He said France will continue pushing up Vietnam’s relations with the EU on the basis of their partnership and comprehensive cooperation agreement (PCA), while supporting the Southeast Asian country in its free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the EU.
Both sides stated that it is necessary to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, strategic dialogues as well as cooperation among localities.
They also reiterated their commitment to bolstering cooperation in trade, investment, education and training, the environment and adaptation to climate change.
Source: VOV English
