In his meeting with the leaders of the French Senate, Minister Bui Thanh Son suggested that the two countries continue to promote friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields. For his part, the leaders of the French Senate believe that Minister Bui Thanh Son's visit to France this time will contribute to deepening the Vietnam-France strategic partnership in a practical manner.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher. Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the meeting, the two sides agreed to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, especially through the exchange of delegations at all levels, close coordination and mutual support at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, promoting the activities of the Friendship Parliamentarians Groups of the two countries...; agreed to promote Vietnam-France economic cooperation, an important pillar in the Strategic Partnership and with great potential for cooperation; continue to fully and effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). The French Senate leader positively acknowledged Vietnam's proposal to soon ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to maximize the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the investment field; urged the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the EC's IUU yellow card warning for Vietnamese seafood products. The two sides agreed to coordinate and organize activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations in the fields of culture, education, health, etc.

The two sides agreed to continue to coordinate closely at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, ASEM, the Francophone Community, and promote ASEAN-EU cooperation; stressed the importance of further tightening the cooperation framework between Vietnam and France in responding to regional and global issues, especially in ensuring freedom, security, safety of navigation and aviation, maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

PEACE