Vietnam considers France as one of its priority partners on the basis of sincerity and trust, while valuing France’s role in the international arena and the two countries’ cooperation at multilateral forums, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Meeting outgoing French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery in Hanoi on Thursday, the Prime Minister affirmed that in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification, Vietnam supports French initiatives and ideas to contribute to maintaining peace, cooperation and development in the region and the wider world.

PM Chinh suggested that Vietnam and France continue to promote contacts, exchanges and visits of senior leaders of the two countries. Both continue to fully and effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to take advantage of their great opportunities. He suggested that France soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to optimize the potential of investment cooperation.

The Prime Minister expected the two countries to strengthen cooperation in new fields such as renewable energy, high technology, digital economy, green growth, circular economy, climate change response, and greenhouses gas emissions reduction, especially in the production of equipment for the renewable energy industry.

Both promote cultural cooperation, education, human resource training, and conservation of architectural heritages in Vietnam, he said. Mr. Chinh asked France to make efforts to have the European Commission (EC) soon remove its yellow card warning (IUU) against Vietnamese seafood products and continue its official development assistance (ODA) and concessional loans to help Vietnam.

At the meeting, the two sides exchanged solutions to enhance cooperation on multilateral forums, participate in solving global problems in the spirit of calling for solidarity, international cooperation and multilateralism.

Ambassador Warnery said France supports the stance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Vietnam on ensuring security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea and settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law.

VOV