Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron (Photo: VNA)

During the  meeting, Macron welcomed the official visit to France by PM Chinh during his first trip to Europe as Prime Minister of Viet Nam. He spoke highly of Viet Nam’s role and position in the region, and expressed his wish to further deepen the Viet Nam-France strategic partnership.

The French President thanked Viet Nam for giving medical masks to France when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, and announced that France will provide Viet Nam with an additional 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine through the bilateral channel and 970,000 other doses through the Covax mechanism.

PM Chinh thanked France for the support in vaccine and medical supplies and said he hoped the European country will continue to help Viet Nam in medical supplies and the production technology of medicine for COVID-19 treatment.

The two leaders hailed the effective Viet Nam-France cooperation in many fields and agreed to build annual plans with specific tasks to further deepen the two countries’ strategic partnership.

The French side said it is ready to coordinate with Viet Nam to prepare for the 12^th conference on localities’ cooperation in Hanoi at the end of next year.

The two sides noted the need to further strengthen the pillar of economic, trade and investment cooperation in the Viet Nam-France strategic partnership. They agreed upon directions and measures to further facilitate trade exchange, and accelerate cooperative projects in key fields.

The French President appreciated bilateral cultural exchange and proposed that the two countries continue to facilitate the activities of the French Institute in Viet Nam and the Viet Nam Culture Centre in France.

PM Chinh shared the French leader’s view, and asked France to maintain and increase cooperative projects in health care. He hailed the programme on teaching French and teaching in French in Viet Nam, adding that he hoped France will create more favourable conditions for the exchange of pupils and students, increase scholarships and train more public administrative personnel for Viet Nam.

He appreciated France’s coordination with Viet Nam at multilateral forums, particularly during the time Viet Nam serves as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. He asked France to work as a bridge to promote ties between Viet Nam, as well as the ASEAN, and the  EU, particularly when France assumes the Presidency of the EU in January 2022.

The two sides agreed to actively implement and optimize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement and push the process of ratifying the Viet Nam-EU Investment Protection Agreement.

President Macron said France is willing to promote cooperation with Viet Nam in developing sustainable fisheries, and pledged to study and work with the European Commission on the early removal of the yellow card against Viet Nam’s aquatic products.

Discussing international and regional issues of shared concern, the French President said France’s Indo-Pacific strategy attaches importance to ASEAN’s centrality and the ensuring of security, safety and freedom of maritime and aviation.  He stressed his support of the settlement of disputes by peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, particularly concerning the East Sea issue.

PM Chinh hailed France’s  role and position in the EU and the international arena, and welcomed countries, including France, to bring into play their role and responsibility to contribute to common peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The two leaders agreed to issue a joint statement on the occasion of PM Chinh’s visit to France.

Chinh conveyed invitations to visit Viet Nam from Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to President Macron, who accepted the invitation with pleasure./.