Vietnam and France have announced the upgrade of relations between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership, making the latter the first country in the European Union (EU) to establish this level of partnership with the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam's Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement during their talks at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Monday, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

With this move, France has become the eighth country in the world to have this level of partnership with Vietnam, following China, Russia, India, South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Australia.

This also means Vietnam has set up a comprehensive strategic partnership with four out of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, including China, Russia, the U.S., and France.

During a press conference co-chaired by Lam and Macron before their talks, the Vietnamese leader said that the Vietnam-France relationship has achieved significant milestones in all areas following more than 50 years of officially establishing diplomatic relations and a decade of their strategic partnership.

Lam stated that France always holds an important position in Vietnam's foreign policy, and has a great role and position in the Francophone community and in the world.

He underscored the need to upgrade the Vietnam-France relationship to a new level to match the increasingly good relations between the two nations.

During their talks, Lam and Macron reviewed the bilateral cooperation outcomes between the two countries in recent times and reached a consensus on upgrading the ties from the strategic partnership, set up in 2014, to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two leaders discussed new directions and measures to develop this partnership.

They agreed to strengthen delegation exchanges at all levels, especially high-level ones, through various channels to further promote mutual trust and understanding.

Highlighting security and defense cooperation as one of the important pillars of the partnership, the host and guest pledged to effectively implement the signed cooperation agreements and soon launch a Vietnam-France defense strategy and cooperation dialogue.

The two nations will also foster cooperation in the training of officers, sharing experience in crime prevention and control, and supporting each other at global and regional security forums.

Regarding economic and trade ties, the two sides agreed to continue promoting preferential loans as well as official development assistance loans for Vietnam, while encouraging agencies and businesses of the two countries to continue fully and effectively implementing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The Vietnamese leader asked France to expedite the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement and support the efforts urging the European Commission to promptly remove the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing ‘yellow card’ warning it has imposed on Vietnamese seafood since 2017.

Affirming that the EVFTA is a driving force in promoting economic and trade relations between the two sides, President Macron promised that he would ask the French Parliament to accelerate the ratification.

Macron praised Vietnam's dedication to the Fair Energy Transition Partnership and green transition, while agreeing to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, aerospace, science and technology, renewable energy, and hydrogen energy.

Both leaders acknowledged the positive and collaborative achievements in science and technology and were committed to further strengthening collaboration in emerging fields such as aerospace, artificial intelligence, and airport traffic infrastructure.

Both sides consented to advance the training of high-quality human resources in health and education and to facilitate more Vietnamese students studying in France on scholarships.

Macron hailed Vietnam's efforts in responding to climate change, while Lam highly appreciated France's pioneering role in this field.

The Vietnamese leader suggested further cooperation in developing ecosystem-based models that help Vietnam’s urban and coastal areas, especially the Mekong Delta, enhance their resilience to climate change impacts.

The French president hailed the Vietnamese community in France as a crucial bridge between the two countries, affirming that he will continue facilitating Vietnamese living and working in France.

The two sides spoke highly of ASEAN's central role in the region and pledged to continue promoting France-ASEAN and EU-ASEAN relations.

They were also committed to supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organizations, such as the United Nations, Asia-Europe Meeting, ASEAN-EU cooperation framework, and Francophone community.

President Macron emphasized that France highly values Vietnam's stance on ending violence, easing tensions, and calling on all parties to resolve conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions by peaceful means.

Regarding the East Vietnam Sea issue, both sides reiterated the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation, and wished to resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

After their talks, the two sides launched a joint statement to highlight the visit's key topics and outcomes, including upgrading the bilateral ties; enhancing multifaceted cooperation in politics, economics, trade, education, energy, infrastructure, defense, and security; solidifying joint efforts to boost sustainable development and resilience; and promoting people-to-people exchange.

During Lam’s visit, which concluded on Monday, the two leaders witnessed the signing of numerous cooperation agreements focused on diplomacy, culture, education, transportation, and internal affairs between the ministries, agencies, and localities of the two countries.

Lam extended an invitation to Macron to visit Vietnam, which he gladly accepted.

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