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Twenty years of 7th Francophone Summit hosted in Vietnam in memory

A workshop took place in Hanoi on November 16 to mark the 20th anniversary of the seventh Francophone Summit hosted by Vietnam in 1997.
Twenty years of 7th Francophone Summit hosted in Vietnam in memory ảnh 1Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc opens a workshop in Hanoi on November 16 to mark the 20th anniversary of the seventh Francophone Summit hosted by Vietnam in 1997. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop took place in Hanoi on November 16 to mark the20th anniversary of the seventh Francophone Summit hosted by Vietnam in 1997.

Theevent was jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, theDepartment of International Organisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairsand the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) to talk about theevent in memories and prospects.

Inhis opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc said the OIF hasbrought together 84 member states and governments over the past two decades,accounting for 20 percent of the global trade and 13 percent of the world’ GDP.It has made significant contribution to the fulfillment of the UN MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) and to addressing global and regional issues, such aspoverty, education and healthcare, people’s standard of living, environmentprotection, gender equality and childcare, Ngoc noted.

Theorganisation has also proved its vital role in preventing and settlingconflicts and political crises as well as encountering terrorism in the memberstates, helping maintain peace and stability in the world, he added.

Thedeputy minister moved on to say that cooperation within the Francophonecommunity has given Vietnam opportunities to strengthen relations with othermember states like France, Canada, Belgium and more in Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Eric-NormandThibeault, OIF Director for Asia-Pacific, said the 1997 Francophone Summittaking place in Hanoi, Vietnam, marked an important milestone in thecommunity’s development with the adoption of the Charter of La Francophonie andthe election of the first OIF Secretary General.

Hehighly appreciated Vietnam’s effort to promote the Francophone activities overthe past years, suggesting the country should further enhance the education ofFrench language at universities and make policies to encourage people to useforeign languages, including French. He affirmed that the OIF will continue toaccompany Vietnam in fostering language and cultural diversity and deepeningeconomic cooperation.

Attendeesdiscussed the growth of Francophone in Asia-Pacific after the summit in Hanoiin 1997 and its challenges in the future; Francophone and future ofmultilateral diplomacy; and studies of French language education and teachingin French in Asia.-VNA
VNA
#workshop #the summit of Hanoi #1997 #7th Francophone Summit #International Organisation of Francophonie #OIF #Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc #Francophone #Eric-Normand Thibeault #Director for Asia-Pacific #Charter of La Francophonie #education of French language #French language #Vietnam #Vietnam news #Vietnamplus
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