Vietnam praises the International Organisation of the Francophone (OIF) and its Secretary General for their efforts to help some member nations deal with conflicts and crises.

Vietnamese Assistant to Foreign Minister Nguyen Ngoc Son made the statement at the 27th OIF Ministerial Conference that was held in Paris from December 1-2.

Chaired by President and Foreign Minister of Switzerland Micheline Calmy-Rey, the conference attracted the participation of representatives from 56 member countries of OIF and 19 observing countries.

Speaking at the conference, Son said that the OIF should continue promoting its strength to support countries in the post-crisis period, focusing on reconstruction and eliminating risks caused by crises and conflicts. It should also coordinate with relevant regional and international organisations to improve efficiency of its activities as well as consolidate its role and position in the international arena.

Participants at the meeting reviewed the implementation of the commitments made at the 13 th Francophone Summit in Montenegro in October 2010 and affirmed their determination to realise these commitments in the time to come, aiming to further promote multilateral Francophone cooperation in different fields.

The conference discussed preparations for the 13 th Francophone Summit, slated for Kinshasa of Congo from October 12-14, 2012.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Vietnamese delegation had bilateral working sessions with the IOF Director and leaders of some OIF’s member countries and heads of delegations for discussing measures to foster bilateral cooperation ties between Vietnam and the countries.

At the sessions, the countries’ leaders and friends highly valued Vietnam’s role and contribution to OIF, expressing their hope to further strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of economics, agriculture, mining, wood trade, telecom infrastructure and training.

Son told the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Paris that OIF Secretary General Clement Duhaime will visit Vietnam in January 2012 to accelerate some cooperative projects between OIF and Vietnam./.