Vietnam, France agree to help each other with Covid-19 vaccines
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had phone talks with his French counterpart Jean Castex Jean Castex on the afternoon of June 14.
During the phone talks, Chinh noted with pleasure the fruitful developments of the bilateral ties over the past time.
The French leader spoke highly of the strategic partnership, saying Vietnam is also a leading partner of France in the region.
J. Castex praised Vietnam’s position and role in the region and the world as well, particularly achievements the country has recorded in Covid-19 containment and socio-economic development, Vietnam Plus reported.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds phone talks with his French counterpart Jean Castex. Photo: VNA |
The PMs agreed to share experience in the pandemic combat, help each other with Covid-19 vaccines and coordinate in economic recovery after the pandemic.
They will also work together to optimise the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and speed up the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).
The leaders consented to facilitate the export of Vietnamese agricultural and fishery products to France, especially fruits that are under harvest like lychee, mango, dragon fruit and passion fruit.
Joint efforts should be made to urge the EC to remove its “yellow card” on Vietnam’s fisheries, helping the country’s fishery sector develop sustainably, they said.
The PMs agreed to assign competent agencies of the two countries to promote effective cooperation in aerospace, energy, national defence and security, sustainable city building, infrastructure development, and culture.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Photo: Vietnamnet |
Chinh called on the French government to further support the Vietnamese community in the country, particularly in the face of Covid-19.
The leaders also stressed the effective coordination between Vietnam and France at multilateral forums over the past time, notably the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), ASEAN and the Francophonie, and concurred to tighten the coordination in regional and global issues in the time ahead.
Regarding the Bien Dong Sea (South China Sea) issue, the two State leaders highlighted cooperation on promoting sustainable development goals, adapting to climate change, protecting the environment, maintaining peace, security, stability and ensuring respect for international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to Vietnamnews.
The PMs used the occasion to exchange invitations to visit their respective countries in the coming time.
Earlier, on May 5, the working group for Vietnam-France defence cooperation held a meeting via videoconference, during which the two countries’ officials agreed to maintain high-level contact and strengthen links in different aspects.
The event was chaired by Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Department for External Relations under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, and Brigadier General Eric Peltier, head of the south bilateral cooperation department of the French army, Nhan Dan reported.
Reviewing the cooperation outcomes in the recent past, the two sides noted that Vietnam and France have maintained their cooperative ties in many areas in an appropriate manner.
Despite complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have sustained high-level contact via videoconference while working closely and rather effectively in other spheres like training, UN peacekeeping operations, and military medicine.
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Director of the Department for External Relations under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang chairs the meeting from Hanoi. Photo: People’s Army Newspaper |
Thang appreciated the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ assistance for Vietnam in personnel training, knowledge exchange, and experience sharing.
Particularly, he added, France has sent its experienced experts to provide specialised advice for the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under a cooperation agreement between Vietnam and the EU.
For the time ahead, the two sides agreed to maintain high-level contact in suitable forms, in person or via teleconference; organise activities to mark the 30th founding anniversary of defence relations; and enhance ties in hydrography, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, and training.
They will also specify the time for the Vietnam-France defence strategy and cooperation dialogue this year and finalise the defence cooperation plan for 2021-2022.
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