Vietnamese Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday engaged in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on the third day of his official visit to France.
The leaders discussed enhanced bilateral trade and cooperation on the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of strategic partnership.
During the meeting, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam expressed his appreciation for France’s role in Europe and around the world.
Building friendship and cooperative ties with France had always been a top priority in Vietnam’s foreign affairs policy, he said, taking the occasion to thank France and President Macron for having supported Vietnam in all aspects.
The leaders exchanged views on regional and world issues of mutual concern, and agreed that disputes must be resolved through peaceful measures on the basis of upholding international law.
The countries’ comprehensive and effective cooperation in all fields had served as a vital driving force to elevate bilateral ties to a new height, they noted.
Party leader Trong and President Macron agreed to maintain and increase high-level contacts and people-to-people exchange between the two sides.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) attends a meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong (L), General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, France, March 27, 2018. Photo: Reuters |
They consented to step up practical measures to boost trade and speed up key cooperation projects on telecommunications, energy, aviation, safe water, climate change and the environment, while seeking supportive measures to enable market entry for businesses from both sides.
Favorable conditions to boost cooperation in technology, clean energy, organic agriculture and digital industries were also present, the leaders agreed.
They saw eye to eye on speeding up the signing and ratification of a free trade deal between Vietnam and the European Union (EU) later this year.
France’s Macron also accepted General Secretary Trong’s invitation to visit Vietnam at a convenient time.
General Secretary Trong has been in France since Sunday to head a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, which includes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, on an official visit to the European partner.
The Vietnamese Party leader witnessed the signing of multibillion-dollar deals between the countries’ businesses, including the purchase of 24 Airbus planes by local estate conglomerate FLC, which is planning to launch a new airline in the next decade.
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