Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang (Photo: VNA)The Ambassador highlighted the traditional relations between the two countriesand their diverse, multi-sectoral cooperation, which have been strengthened anddeveloped comprehensively.
France remains a leading partner of Vietnam inEurope and the world at large, he said, stressing that France highly valuesVietnam’s position in the region as well as in strategies and policies that the European country is implementing in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific.
Thang noted that the two countries have maintainedregular exchange mechanisms in politics, economy and national defence, and arange of agreements have been signed, creating a legal foundation for thebilateral collaboration in priority areas.
The frequency of delegation exchanges and meetings betweenVietnamese and French leaders on the sidelines of international conferences overthe past time reflects the close bilateral political ties, he went on.
The ambassador laid emphasis on economic cooperationbetween the two countries as France is the leading European ODA supplier ofVietnam, and Vietnam ranks second among France’s ODA recipients in Asia with totalcommitments amounting to 18.4 billion USD from 1993.
Two-way trade more than tripled within 10 years, reaching5.3 billion USD in 2019. Over 300 French businesses are operating in theSoutheast Asian nation in various sectors, while a number of Vietnamese firms havelanded their investments in France.
Thang also pointed to strong bilateral cooperation in higher education with hundreds of agreements inked by universities and researchinstitutes of the two countries, and some 7,000 Vietnamese students in Francenow.
Health care also forms a key cooperation area, hesaid, adding that collaboration between localities has been expanded with theparticipation of 24 France localities and 33 cities and provinces of Vietnam. He described the 12th Vietnam-France conference on decentralised cooperation, slated for April 13-14 in Hanoi, as a vivid demonstration for the vitality of cooperationbetween Vietnamese and French localities.
According to the diplomat, there are many favourable conditions for the two countries to enhance their ties.
The diverse partnerships at different levels, positivecooperation outcomes, and common perceptions on visions of the strategicpartnership have laid important ground for partners of the two sides to deepen and expand their connectivity, he continued.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher in Hanoi in 2022 (Photo: VNA)Given emerging challenges in post-COVID-19 economicrecovery and development, he suggested partners of the two countries make greaterefforts and take measures to meet new requirements of both nations.
Cooperation coordination mechanisms should work moreeffectively in order to orient and help partners of the two sides expand cooperationand well implement relevant programmes and projects, he said, proposing that relevant agencies and partners of both sides work out specific programmes and plans in key cooperation spheres.
For investment, he said solutions are needed to attractmore French investments in multiple fields in Vietnam, from high-tech, economicsectors, digital transformation, health care and pharmaceuticals to traditionalindustries like car manufacturing, renewable energy, infrastructureconstruction, public transport, high quality agriculture, food processing, environment-relatedsectors, among others.
He noted that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement,which came into force from August 1, 2020, has generated great opportunitiesfor the two countries to boost their economic and trade links.
The ambassador urged Vietnamese businesses to revampproduction to satisfy quality standards and catch up with development trends ofEurope and France. Meanwhile, French enterprises should put forth more methodicalstrategies and set aside more resources to promote their presence in Vietnamand optimise the market to expand their reach in the region.
In addition, he emphasised cooperation in education and training,explaining that youngsters will help tighten the relations comprehensively and create new ideas for new cooperation projects, meeting the interests of both nations in a rapidly-evolving world.
“It can be said that there are substantialopportunities for Vietnam and France to elevate their relations in the comingyears,” he said.
The determination of leaders, the support of peoplefrom all walks of life and the active engagement of partners in all fields haveraised hope for intensive, extensive and effective development of theVietnam-France in the future, he said.
The two countries should fully promote cooperation tocontribute to the relations between Asia and Europe, and between ASEAN and theEU, with untapped potential, and contribute to building a world of harmony andpeace./.
VNA
