(VOVWORLD) - Party General Secretary and State President To Lam met with President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher in Paris on Monday within the framework of his official visit to France.
 Party General Secretary and State President To Lam held talks with President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher in Paris on Oct.7, 2024. (photo: Tri Dung/VNA) |
He expressed his delight at the decision to elevate the Vietnam-France relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership which reflects the strong political will of the two countries' leaders and aligns with the aspirations of their citizens.
Larcher agreed with Lam’s proposals to strengthen legislative cooperation between the two countries, coordinate closely and offer mutual support at global and regional parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF), contributing to fostering a more profound, substantive and effective partnership between the two nations.
Lam called on the French Parliament to expedite the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and to support the European Commission to remove the "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood exports at an early date.
The two sides emphasised the ensuring of peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation, and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
 Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher, and other participants (photo: Tri Dung/ VNA) |
Also on Monday, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam had a meeting with President of the French Parliament Yael Braun-Pivet in Paris.
Regarding economy, trade and investment ties, Lam commended France for being Vietnam's fourth-largest trade partner and the second-largest investor in the EU, and the leading European country in providing official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam. He urged the French Parliament to expedite the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to facilitate investments from both countries and the EU.
He also called on the French parliament to advocate for the European Commission’s prompt lifting of the "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood to ensure the livelihoods of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and meet the needs of French consumers.
Braun-Pivet highly valued Vietnam's initiatives in the transition to sustainable fisheries, particularly its efforts to persuade the EU’s removal of the “yellow card” warning over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.