French Senator highly values closer ties with Vietnam

Senator Catherine Deroche, Chairwoman of the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group (Photo: VNA)

Paris (VNA) - Senator Catherine Deroche, Chairwoman of the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group in the Senate of France, has highly valued increasingly closer ties between the two nations.

In an interview recently granted to Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of PM Pham Minh Chinh’s ongoing France visit, Deroche affirmed that France attaches special importance to bilateral strategic partnership with Vietnam since 2013, with support given to their joint projects.

She said amid the COVID-19 pandemic and within the framework of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, there are challenges that force both countries to strengthen bonds in various areas. She suggested that they should build on their long-standing ties to materialise realise new projects.

According to her, they could enhance coordination in the fields of climate change response, sustainable urban development, water resource management, land use planning, protection and enhancement of values of cultural and natural heritages, social protection, health care and culture.

In her view, the Vietnamese PM’s France visit will mark the resumption of high-level visits between the two nations after hiatus caused by the pandemic.

About the fight against COVID-19, she lauded Vietnam for fighting the first pandemic outbreaks and proposed reinforcing bilateral medical ties.

Changes in Vietnam's socio-economy and industry, growing economy, emergence of middle class, strong demand for infrastructure and development of the private sector are behind the country's potential of becoming a promising trade partner, she said, adding that opportunities are opening up for French firms in the fields of energy, aviation, environment and logistics.

She stressed that Vietnam and France pay attention to the East Sea issue and consistently pursue the stance on peacefully addressing disputes on the basis of respect for international law, the right to maritime and aviation freedom in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.