HCMC – Vietnam and France upgraded bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during a high-level meeting between Vietnam’s Party General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on October 7 (local time).
France became the first country in the European Union and the eighth worldwide to establish such a partnership with Vietnam, after China, Russia, India, South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Australia.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed domestic socio-economic situations, bilateral cooperation, and regional and international matters of mutual interest. Lam and Macron agreed to enhance high-level exchanges between the French administration and the Communist Party, Government, National Assembly, and local authorities of Vietnam.
Both countries pledged to strengthen defense and security cooperation by implementing existing agreements, initiating a strategic dialogue, and collaborating on officer training, crime control, and regional security initiatives.
To bolster economic cooperation, Vietnam and France aim to increase preferential loans and official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam and fully implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Lam requested that France expedite the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and support the European Commission in lifting the “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood.
In a joint statement following the talks, Vietnam and France underscored the importance of multilateralism with the United Nations at its core. The two countries reaffirmed commitment to promoting human rights and fostering peace, security, and stability in the East Sea.
Hanoi and Paris also pledged to work together to achieve the goals of the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate change, with France supporting Vietnam’s target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
