National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) shakes hands with newly-appointed French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery. Photo: qdnd.vn

Vietnam always attaches importance to its comprehensive partnership and cooperation with the European Union (EU), France and other EU members, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue told French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery, VNA reported.

At a reception for the diplomat in Hanoi on November 16, the top legislator said Vietnam wishes to continue receiving French support to promote stronger cooperation with the EU.

The NA Chairman congratulated Warnery on his appointment as the French Ambassador to Vietnam and earlier the Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.

The long-time attachment with and deep understanding of Vietnam are important factors for the ambassador to successfully completing his duties, thus helping to further promote the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership and the bilateral cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the French Parliament, he said.

Warnery said he has regularly visited and worked with the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians Group, adding that despite the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years, the Vietnamese NA and the French Parliament have maintained online exchanges.

President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher is looking forward to his official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Hue, the diplomat said, adding that the embassy and the French Senate are actively preparing for the trip.

Hue stated that the Vietnamese NA welcomes and attaches great importance to the visit of the President of the French Senate, which will be an important event celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties, and 10 years since the two countries lifted their relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2023.

He expressed the belief that Larcher’s visit will contribute to deepening the Strategic Partnership between the two countries and the friendship and cooperation between their legislatures.

Economic cooperation is an important pillar of the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership. Bilateral trade turnover in 2020 and 2021 has somewhat slowed down due to the impact of the pandemic, but is showing signs of recovery.

The two countries still have a lot of potential to boost trade turnover in the coming time, especially after the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) officially took effect from August 1, 2020.

Earlier, on November 14, the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group and the Vietnamese Sub-committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophone (APF) held a meeting in Hanoi with ambassadors and representatives of the Francophonie organisations in Vietnam.

At the meeting in Hanoi with ambassadors and representatives of the Francophonie organisations in Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Addressing the event, NA Permanent Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man, who is also President of the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, highlighted the effective operations of the APF's Vietnamese Sub-committee, adding that Vietnam will host the APF Asia-Pacific conference from November 28-30 in Da Nang city.

Man affirmed that the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and French-speaking countries have played an important role in Vietnam’s foreign policy.

Vietnam always supports the values and goals of the French-speaking community, including peace, democracy, diversity in culture and language, solidarity, cooperation and development. This is also the goals that the State and people of Vietnam are trying to reach, he stated.

The legislator acknowledged the Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Organisation's contributions to the success of the country’s parliamentary diplomacy over the years.

The NA Vice Chairman lauded initiatives and efforts of the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group and the APF's Vietnamese Sub-committee as well as contributions by ambassadors and heads of international organisations through different activities.

The APF is an inter-parliamentary organisation of the member countries of the Francophonie, which currently consists of 90 member sub-committees. The National Assembly of Vietnam has been an observer since 1974 and a full member of the APF since 1991.

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