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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and French Minister for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht |
The PM expressed a wish that the two countries continue to work closely together to optimize opportunities created by the Vietnam - E.U. Free Trade Agreement to boost bilateral trade.
He also urged France to early ratify the Vietnam - E.U. Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) so as to facilitate equal and mutually benefiting investment relations between Vietnam and France.
In addition, PM Pham Minh Chinh proposed that France push for the early removal of the E.C.’s IUU “yellow card” against Vietnamese fishery products, in order to benefit French and E.U. consumers and ensuring livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of laborers in Vietnam’s fishery industry.
Minister Becht said economic-investment-trade cooperation is the pillar of the France - Vietnam strategic partnership. He affirmed that French businesses have great interest in investment in Vietnam, and want to accelerate the implementation of key economic cooperation projects of the two countries, including the Nhon - Hanoi Station urban railway route in Hanoi.
The two sides acknowledged the important achievements in their cooperation, particularly the strong growth of bilateral trade, which increased 10% year-on-year to reach 5.3 billion USD in 2022.
Noting the great potential of bilateral economic cooperation, the French minister pledged to further promote collaboration with Vietnam in fields of France’s strength such as climate change response, urban transport infrastructure, health care, energy, aviation and e-government.
Becht appreciated the role of the Vietnamese community in France, which he considers an important bridge connecting the two countries. He affirmed that the French Government will continue to create favorable conditions for the community.
The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the East Sea (South China Sea) and underlined the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the sea. They also stressed the significance of settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
Source: VNA