Tunisian Minister of Tourism Mohamed Moez Belhassine (right) welcomes Vietnamese Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân as she arrived in Djerba city, Tunisia on November 18 (local time). — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

TUNIS — Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân arrived in Djerba city, Tunisia on November 18 (local time) to attend the 18th Francophonie Summit at the invitation of Tunisian President Kais Saied.

The summit, themed “Connectivity in diversity – the digital vector of development and solidarity in the French-speaking world” will be held from November 19-20, with discussions on political and economic situation in the world.

On the occasion, the summit will hold a ceremony marking the 50th founding anniversary of the Francophone Community, elect the General Secretary of the Francophone Community for the 2023-26 tenure; consider the adoption of many documents such as the Djerba Declaration, the Resolution on crisis situation, escape from crisis and consolidating peace in Francophone space; the Strategic Framework on Francophone Community Cooperation for the 2023-30 period, and regulations on admission procedures and changes to the community’s membership rules.

Vice President Xuân will attend the opening ceremony and deliver speeches at the meetings and discussion sessions of the summit.

She will also have bilateral meetings with other leaders and heads of delegations during the summit.

Founded in 1970, the Francophone Community groups 88 member states with the goal of sharing French language and universal values for the sake of peace, cooperation, solidarity and sustainable development. The members are from five continents, with about 220 million French speakers out of a population of 890 million.

The community has made efforts to affirm its international position and strengthen relations with international and regional organisations such as the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). From the traditional cultural and technical cooperation, the community has made a strong shift to political activities while culture and language remain a top priority. The safeguarding of cultural diversity and French language at international forums has always been its consistent goal.

Fully, actively and substantively joining most of the community’s priority issues, Việt Nam has been a key Asia-Pacific member that has an important voice in the planning and implementation of the community’s cooperation strategy. — VNS