Paris (VNA) – Vietnam and France have agreed to share legislative and oversight experience, and expand cooperation across a range of strategic areas, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The agreement was reached during talks in Paris on July 10 between Le Tan Toi, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, and Jean-Michel Jacques, Chairman of the French National Assembly's National Defence and Armed Forces Committee.
The meeting took place just over a month after the French committee's successful working visit to Vietnam, reflecting both sides' determination to promote practical cooperation between the two legislative bodies and their committees.
Toi noted that bilateral relations have continued to develop positively since Vietnam and France elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He said France is Vietnam's first Comprehensive Strategic Partner in the European Union (EU) and one of the country's leading partners in Europe.
He said economic, trade and investment cooperation remains a key pillar of bilateral ties, while significant potential exists for expanding cooperation in strategic infrastructure, science and technology, defence industry, energy, high-tech agriculture, and education and training.
Building on discussions during the French delegation's visit to Vietnam in June, Toi proposed enhancing cooperation in maritime security, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, space technology, science and technology, seabed resource exploration, agriculture, education and technology.
He said these are areas where France has strong expertise and Vietnam has growing demand, offering opportunities for the two countries to exchange legislative and oversight experience while translating the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into concrete outcomes.
The Vietnamese side proposed maintaining delegation exchanges and regular contacts between the two committees, while strengthening the sharing of legislative and oversight experience in areas including defence, security, defence industry, dual-use technologies, maritime security, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, crisis management and responses to non-traditional security challenges.
Vietnam hopes France will continue sharing expertise, supporting human resource development, facilitating knowledge transfer and promoting links between businesses and research institutions in areas including the peaceful use of nuclear energy, aviation, aerospace, defence industry and marine research, he added.
Regarding Vietnam-EU relations, Toi urged French lawmakers to further support the effective implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), encourage the French Parliament to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and back the European Commission's early removal of its "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.
For his part, Jacques highly valued his committee's visit to Vietnam in June, saying that upon returning to France he had written to the French minister responsible for agriculture, urging relevant French and EU authorities to support the review process for lifting the "yellow card" on Vietnamese seafood.
He also said he would discuss with the Mayor of Caen the possibility of establishing a sister-city relationship between Dien Bien Phu and Caen, while strengthening cooperation between the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum and the Caen Memorial Museum.
Jacques added that the French committee plans to host an international scientific seminar next year on maritime and marine challenges, focusing on issues of global concern such as the sea-based economy, logistics and subsea cable infrastructure. The Vietnamese committee was invited to the event.
Welcoming the initiative, Toi said he would report the proposal to Vietnam's National Assembly leaders and respond to the French side.
Both sides agreed to continue promoting regular exchanges and practical cooperation within their respective areas of responsibility, contributing to closer ties between the two legislatures and further strengthening the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership./.
