Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds phone talks with his French counterpart Jean Castex (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam wants to further
enhance the traditional, trusted and strategic partnership with France – a leading
partner of Vietnam in Europe, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on June 14.
During his online talks with French PM Jean Castex,
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.
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.
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 East Sea issue, they shared the view on
the significance of ensuring the freedom of navigation, aviation, security and
peace in the waters, as well as the role of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).
The PMs used the occasion to exchange invitations to
visit their respective countries in the coming time./.
VNA