Vietnamese Party chief holds high-level phone talks with French President
Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, held high-level phone talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday afternoon as the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year.
The phone talks demonstrated that the two leaders attach significant importance to the strategic partnership between Vietnam and France, the Party leader stressed.
He hailed the success of the French government and President Macron in implementing reforms in many socio-economic fields to bolster the development of France, enhance its role in strengthening the EU, and contribute to joint efforts to cope with challenges facing Europe and other regions in the world.
He expressed his thanks to France for supporting Vietnam over the past years, including the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Trong also informed the top French official of Vietnam’s key achievements after more than 35 years of carrying out reforms, post-pandemic economic recovery, development goals by the middle of the 21st century, and its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, and multilateralization and diversification of relations.
He underlined the importance of peace, friendship, cooperation and compliance with the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter in addressing international issues, including ensuring peace and security in the East Vietnam Sea.
He expressed his happiness over the significant growth of the Vietnam-France strategic partnership.
Both sides have actively implemented the contents of the Joint Statement reached by leaders of the two nations during his France visit in 2018.
Besides, he stressed that Vietnam attaches great importance to the Vietnam-France strategic partnership and endorses France’s initiatives for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and around the world.
The two leaders also discussed some major measures to expand and enhance the bilateral cooperation.
President Macron affirmed that France values Vietnam’s international role and position and the Vietnam-France strategic partnership, adding that France always accompanies Vietnam in implementing the country’s strategic development goals.
The top French official described the phone talks as an important event for the two leaders to discuss strategic orientations to promote bilateral relations over the next 20 years.
Vietnam and France need to continue boosting political trust and people-to-people exchange, promoting cooperation in the fields of national defense and security, aviation, and energy transition, the French leader said.
He pledged his support for Vietnam’s cooperation with the EU, including the execution of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and cooperation in seafood fishing.
During the phone talks, the Vietnamese Party chief reiterated his invitation to the French President to visit Vietnam and the latter accepted it gladly.
By Hong Ngan & Thanh Chung – Tuoi Tre News – October 21, 2023