French Senate Gérard Larcher (left) welcomes Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm to the talks in Paris. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

PARIS — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm met with President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher in Paris on October 7 afternoon (local time) within the framework of his official visit to France.

He expressed his delight at the decision to elevate the Việt Nam-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.

The two sides expressed their joy at their respective countries’ socio-economic achievements and their growing ties over the recent past despite global uncertainties, adding that the Việt Nam visit by Larcher in December 2023 was a significant milestone and testament to the fine cooperation between the two legislative bodies.

Larcher, for his part, said French senators have enduring and special affection for Việt Nam and hope to further deepen Việt Nam-France ties. He agreed with Lam’s proposals to strengthen legislative cooperation between the two countries, especially increasing the exchange of all-level delegations, particularly those at high level, coordinating closely and offering 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.

In reply, Lâm praised the positive role of the France-Việt Nam Parliamentary Friendship Group at the French Senate and its Vietnamese counterpart. These groups have been instrumental in bridging the ties between the two countries' legislative bodies and their peoples.

The Vietnamese leader called on the French Parliament to expedite the ratification of the EU-Việt Nam 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 French Senate President also commended Việt Nam's efforts to advance sustainable fishing practices.

The two sides assessed that agriculture and climate change are intertwined and complementary fields, with much room for increased cooperation, especially as France is Việt Nam's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) partner.

Lâm proposed that France support Việt Nam in adapting to climate change, especially in terms of technology, human resource training, and institutional and policy building in the energy transition process and implementing its international commitments on climate change response.

He spoke highly of the interest and contributions by the French Senate in connecting localities of the two countries in successfully organising the 12th Việt Nam - France decentralised cooperation conference in Hanoi in April 2023 - the largest event in the Việt Nam - France relations since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Regarding the community of 300,000 Vietnamese people in France, Lâm affirmed that it serves as a bridge for the relationship between the two countries and suggested that France continue to create favourable conditions for the community to successfully integrate into and contribute to the socio-economic development and cultural diversity of the host country.

On the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue, Lâm highly valued the positive results of the seminars and reports of the French Senate on the situation in the Asia-Pacific and the East Sea. 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). — VNA/VNS