Paris (VNA) – Vietnam’s Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the growing relationship between the two countries at a press briefing before their talks in Paris on October 7.
President Macron thanked Vietnam for inviting France to attend the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7). French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu was sent to the event.
The host also appreciated the top Vietnamese leader’s attendance at the 19th Francophonie Summit and his official visit to France, as well as the friendly sentiments he and Vietnamese people give to France.
France wants to enhance cooperation with Vietnam, especially collaboration between their businesses, Macron said, noting France stands ready to facilitate investment by Vietnamese enterprises and helps the Southeast Asian nation effectively implement its projects.
Apart from economy, France places importance on cooperation in education, health care, education research, and the preservation and promotion of cultural values and facilities, the leader said.
The French Government is ready to work with Vietnam in support of cultural development movements and exchanges, he continued, lauding the country’s energy commitments and its climate change response.
Macron stressed that Lam’s visit will contribute to strengthening the relations between France and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which plays a key role in regional stability and peace. France attaches great importance to its relations with ASEAN, he added.
For his part, Lam said this is his first visit to France in his capacity as Party General Secretary and State President of Vietnam. It is also the first trip by a top leader of Vietnam to France over the past 22 years.
Congratulating France on its successful organisation of Paris 2024 Olympics and the 19th Francophonie Summit, the guest said Vietnam supports contents of the joint declaration issued at the summit, with values of peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.
Lam said the Vietnam-France relationship has been growing across spheres, and that the European nation always holds an important position in his country’s foreign policy.
He suggested the two countries advance their relationship to a new high, saying with the decision, France would become the first country in the European Union to have a new, comprehensive relationship with Vietnam.
Committed to deepening bilateral ties, he expressed his hope that his upcoming talks with Macron will discuss specific strategic orientations and measures across five areas to elevate Vietnam-France relations to a new level.
According to the leader, the first area is to deepen political cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, in response to international challenges. Vietnam stands ready to work closely with France to usher in a new era of bilateral relations, enhancing dialogue and exchanges at all levels and across all party, government, and parliament channels as well as increasingly boosting the effectiveness of and expanding their bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Concerned about the escalating conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the complex developments in the East Sea, Vietnam is willing to collaborate with France to contribute responsibly to seeking peaceful solutions, for cooperation and development in each region and in the world.
The second focuses on increasing political trust through joint work in defence and security, while the third highlights the importance of stronger economic partnership to step up trade and innovation.
The fourth is about increasing cooperation for sustainable development and resilience toward balancing socio-economic development and environmental protection. The fifth involves promoting people-to-people exchanges, contributing to strengthening their people's solidarity and mutual understanding.
With determination of the two countries’ leaders and people as well as an over-300,000-strong Vietnamese community in France, the top leader said he is confident that bilateral ties will thrive and the European nation will engage more actively and extensively in a new era, the era of Vietnam's rise.
Following the press conference, Lam and Macron witnessed the signing of two important cooperation documents between Vietnam and France. They included an educational cooperation agreement between the two governments and a contract for the supply and maintenance of engines for 200 narrow-body aircraft between Vietnamese carrier VietjetAir and France's aircraft equipment manufacturers Safran and CFM International./.
