General Secretary and President To Lam holds talks with French President Emmanuel Macron

General Secretary and President To Lam and the French President agreed on major directions and measures to further deepen and strengthen the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes General Secretary and President To Lam . (Photo: Tri Dung/VNA)

According to the VNA special correspondent, at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, General Secretary and President To Lam paid an official visit to France from October 6-7.

Following the solemn welcoming ceremony at noon on October 7th local time at the Elysée Palace in Paris, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with President Emmanuel Macron.

General Secretary and President To Lam expressed gratitude for the warm, respectful, and thoughtful reception extended by the French State, Government, and National Assembly, and by President Macron personally, to the high-level Vietnamese delegation; affirmed that Vietnam always values the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership; and congratulated France and President Macron personally on the successful organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and especially the 19th Francophone Summit (October 2024), contributing to further affirming France's important role and position in the international arena.

For his part, President Macron once again congratulated the General Secretary and President on his election to the new position; emphasized that this was the first official visit to France by a Vietnamese head of state in 22 years and affirmed that upgrading relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is in line with the cooperation framework and aspirations of both countries; thanked Vietnam for participating in the Francophone Summit and many important related activities such as the Francotech Forum, the Francophone Village, etc.

President Macron expressed his condolences for the losses caused by the recent Typhoon Yagi and affirmed his support for Vietnam in overcoming the consequences.

In an atmosphere of trust and frankness, General Secretary and President To Lam and President Macron had a comprehensive exchange on the socio-economic situation of each country, bilateral cooperation, and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The two leaders expressed pleasure at the positive developments in relations between the two countries, particularly in political-diplomatic, security-defense, trade-investment, and education areas. Both sides agreed to upgrade and strengthen exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially at the high level, through Party, State, Government, and Parliament channels.

General Secretary and President To Lam holds talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. (Photo: Tri Dung/VNA)

The two leaders agreed to declare an upgrade of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and agreed on major directions and measures to further deepen and strengthen the Vietnam-France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework, making it more practical and relevant to the cooperation framework between the two countries in the new context.

With this decision, France becomes the first country in the EU to have a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam.

Both sides assessed security and defense cooperation as one of the important pillars; agreed to effectively implement the signed cooperation agreements; to soon organize a strategic dialogue on security and defense; to coordinate and support each other in officer training, sharing experiences in crime prevention and control; and to support each other in regional and global security forums.

General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated the recent visit to Vietnam by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, demonstrating a spirit of respect for history and "setting aside the past" to look towards the future.

Regarding economic and trade relations, both sides highly appreciated the cooperation between ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries in this field; agreed to continue promoting preferential loans and ODA loans for Vietnam; and encouraged agencies and businesses of both countries to continue fully and effectively implementing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

General Secretary and President To Lam requested France to expedite the ratification process of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); highly appreciated Vietnam's efforts in sustainable fisheries transformation; and supported the European Commission (EC) in lifting the "yellow card" against Vietnamese seafood as soon as possible.

For his part, President Macron affirmed that the EVFTA agreement is an important driving force promoting economic and trade relations between the two sides; and stated that he would soon propose to the National Assembly the ratification of the EVIPA agreement. The French President highly appreciated Vietnam's commitment to implementing the Joint Partnership for a Just Energy Transition (JETP) and the green transition.

Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas with potential and where France has strengths, such as infrastructure, aerospace, science and technology, renewable energy, and hydrogen energy.

Acknowledging the positive results of cooperation in science and technology, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in new areas such as aerospace, artificial intelligence, and airport infrastructure.

In the fields of healthcare and education, both sides agreed to promote the training of high-quality human resources, continue to create opportunities for Vietnamese students to study in France with more scholarships, and encourage people from both countries to participate in major cultural events of each country.

Regarding agricultural cooperation, both sides agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of ecological agriculture, circular agriculture, and trilateral cooperation between Vietnam, France, and the Southern countries to ensure global food security.

President Macron welcomed Vietnam's efforts in responding to climate change. Meanwhile, General Secretary and President To Lam highly appreciated France's pioneering and leading role in the fight against climate change; and expressed his desire for the two sides to continue cooperating on developing ecosystem-based models and strengthening the resilience of cities and coastal areas, especially the Mekong Delta, to climate change, while ensuring a balance of interests.

President Macron highly appreciated the role of the Vietnamese community in France, considering it an important bridge between the two countries; and affirmed that he would continue to create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live and work in France.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, both sides acknowledged ASEAN's central role in the region; committed to further promoting relations between France and ASEAN, as well as EU-ASEAN relations; and pledged to continue supporting each other in multilateral forums and international organizations such as ASEM, the ASEAN-EU cooperation framework, the Francophone community, and the United Nations.

Regarding regional and international issues, the French President emphasized that France highly appreciates Vietnam's stance on ending violence and de-escalating tensions, and called on all parties to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, etc., through peaceful means and respect for international law.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, both sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight, and resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

On this occasion, General Secretary and President To Lam invited President Macron to visit Vietnam soon. President Macron happily accepted the invitation and will visit Vietnam at a suitable time.

During the visit, numerous documents and cooperation agreements in the fields of diplomacy, culture, education, transportation, and internal affairs were signed by ministries, departments, and localities of both countries.

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