Vietnamese PM And French Counterpart's Meet Highlighting Two Countries' Partnership

Earlier this week, Vietnamese PM and French PM acclaimed the long-standing relationship between Vietnam and France. On the basis of the Joint Statement adopted during the official visit to France by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong from March 25 to March 27, 2018, the two Prime Ministers affirmed their determination to deepen Strategic partnership signed in 2013.

Meeting between PM Pham Minh Chinh and PM Jean Castex. Photo: Le Courrier Du Vietnam. Photo: VOV

Towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries coming up in 2023, the two Prime Ministers agreed to strengthen the relationship and make extensive efforts in the new phase of bilateral relations. The talks highligthed Vietnam-France cooperation in fields such as regional security, health and sustainable development.

Vietnam, France vow to deepen strategic partnership

Vietnam highly appreciates the involvement of France and the European Union (EU) in the Indo-Pacific region and their support strategies of France and the EU. France and the EU’s interest shows the international community contributes to strengthen the international system based on international law, responding to global challenges, claimed PM Pham Minh Chinh. Such contribution is crucial to laying the foundation for a rapid, equitable and equitable economic recovery and to creating long-term prosperity. Castex paid close attention to opinions that ASEAN has on the Indo-Pacific region (ASEAN Indo - Pacific Outlook - AIPO) and thanked Vietnam for its active role in supporting France to become development partner of ASEAN. Vietnam also received praises on behalf of ASEAN members on Southeast Asian country’s successful performance as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the tenure 2020-2021, according to the VOV.

As reported by VOV, Castex announced that France will send Vietnam 1,370,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, raising the European country’s total vaccine donations to more than 2 million doses. On behalf of the Government and people of Viet Nam, PM Pham thanked the French Government for its assistance for Viet Nam in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistance from France in the health sector is also realized through medical training programs and many joint research projects, especially the partnership established between the French research agency ANRS-MIE. and the Vietnam Ministry of Health, which both sides wish to maintain. On the other hand, PM Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the strengthening of cooperation on the topic of antibiotic resistance, for example the joint projects DRISA and ROADMAP with the coordination of research laboratories of the two countries.

The talks also mentioned regional and international issues of shared concern, including the East Sea, and underscored that all countries need to contribute to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity; ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation; settling international disputes peacefully on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Vietnam appreciated French military ships' respecting Vietnam's laws on courtesy visits or technical docking and wished to continued the implementation of the Declaration on Defense Cooperation for the 2018-2028 between two countries. Vietnam strived to improve in the field of French language in military training in order to deploy Vietnamese peacekeeping forces in French-speaking areas. The two PMs formalized military medicine cooperation by signing a Framework Agreement. Finally, to support national and regional security, cooperation between Vietnam and France will be further strengthened on migration and human trafficking issues.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Vietnam PM Pham Minh Chinh in Paris, November 4, 2021. Photo by VnExpress

The two leaders also underscored the importance of trading among Vietnamese-French businesses, saying if they work together, it will create a higher competitiveness in terms of quantity, negotiation, and building a network of relationships in Europe. They hoped with the effectively implement the Viet Nam-EU free trade agreement (EVFTA) and ratification process of the EU-Viet Nam investment protection agreement (EVIPA), the two countries can improve trade and investment linkages between Viet Nam and France, and between Viet Nam and the EU.

Reinforce the two nations’ strategic partnership

President Macron said he expects to further deepen the Vietnam-France strategic partnership, closing the talk on a high note, the leaders of the Governments both agreed to continue strengthening of cooperation between the localities of Vietnam and France. France and Vietnam consider cooperation between localities as a pillar of bilateral cooperation. The next meeting on cooperation between localities in Hanoi at the end of 2022 will be an important period for the signing of new and promising partnerships.

Chinh highly praised France’s collaboration with Vietnam at multilateral forums, particularly when Vietnam held the role of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council earlier this year.

He hoped France would continue working as a bridge to boost Vietnam-EU relations, as well as ASEAN-EU relations, especially when France assumes the EU presidency next January.

The Vietnamese PM added he wished France would continue to provide medical equipment and transfer technology for Covid-19 drug production and help Vietnam improve its medical capacity.

Macron thanked Vietnam for its mask support in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak last year and announced France would further support Vietnam with 400,000 vaccine doses through bilateral channels and 970,000 doses of vaccines through the Covax facility, bringing the total number of vaccines France has provided Vietnam to more than two million doses, reported the vnexpress.

Nov 5 concluded PM Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to France. While in Paris, the Prime Minister had a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and attended a banquet hosted by the French President on November 4 (French time).

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