PANO – During the visit to Vietnam, Secretary General of the International Organization of Francophone (OIF) Michaelle Jean had talks with Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on October 12.

At the talks, Deputy PM Minh and the OIF Secretary General discussed the priorities for the operation of the Francophone community in the coming time and the preparation for the Vietnam’s high-ranking delegation led by President Tran Dai Quang to the 16th Francophone Summit scheduled in Madagascar next month.

The Vietnamese official confirmed supporting efforts of the Francophone community to promote economic cooperation besides other areas so as to make it a strong community. He also proposed a number of specific ideas to promote cooperation. The two sides then compared notes on matters of common concern, including the East Sea (South China Sea) issue.

The OIF Secretary General visiting the office of Le Courrier du Vietnam

For her part, OIF Michaelle Jean stressed that Vietnam is a reliable and important partner of OIF member countries in Africa and confirmed the OIF is willing to help Vietnam in its international integration and its start-up business.

In the coming time, she affirmed, the OIF will strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in French language teaching and teaching of other subjects in French, as well as support Vietnam in joining the UN peacekeeping operations.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the OIF official called on relevant parties to deal with the issue by peaceful means with respect for international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The two officials then witnessed the signing of the partnership agreement between the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the OIF to improve French language capabilities for diplomatic officials and employees.

* The same day, the OIF Secretary General visited the office of Le Courrier du Vietnam, a French-language newspaper of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). This was the first visit of the secretary general to the newspaper, marking a milestone in the organization’s policy to strengthen development cooperation with the Francophone community in Vietnam.

Talking to VNA Director General Nguyen Duc Loi, OIF Secretary General Michaelle Jean committed to support the VNA and Le Courrier de Vietnam newspaper in the training of its reporters and editors.

Translated by Huu Duong