Photo for illustration. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng on Friday received Benoit Guidée, Director of the Asia–Oceania Department at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, who is visiting Việt Nam to co-chair the Việt Nam–France Political Consultation.

Hằng highly valued the maintenance of the political consultation mechanism between the two foreign ministries, describing it as an effective and substantive channel for reviewing and advancing bilateral cooperation in line with the Việt Nam–France Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

She stressed that Việt Nam attaches great importance to its relationship with France, the first European Union country with which Việt Nam has established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, noting that the two sides enjoy a solid foundation and significant potential for further cooperation.

She highlighted opportunities to strengthen collaboration in areas where France has strong expertise, including urban transport, strategic infrastructure, railways, energy, and water treatment systems.

For his part, Guidée expressed his pleasure at returning to Việt Nam and agreed that bilateral relations have developed positively since being elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in October 2024.

He welcomed the high-level exchanges in 2025, including the visit to Việt Nam by French President Emmanuel Macron and the visit to France by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, describing them as important drivers for deepening and expanding bilateral ties.

He affirmed France’s continued support for Việt Nam in strategic sectors as well as in research and high-quality human resource training, and proposed maintaining the existing dialogue mechanisms effectively.

The two sides also agreed to further enhance cooperation across all areas, including politics, diplomacy, trade, culture, education and training, science and technology, and cooperation between localities, while strengthening coordination at regional and international forums. France affirmed its commitment to accompanying Việt Nam in achieving its socio-economic development goals, while Việt Nam expressed support for France’s role and initiatives in addressing global challenges.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese official called on France to soon ratify the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and urge the European Commission to lift the IUU’s yellow card on Vietnamese seafood exports.

Earlier, Guidée and Bùi Hà Nam, Director of the European Department of Việt Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the second Việt Nam–France Political Consultation, during which both sides reviewed cooperation outcomes and agreed on orientations to further deepen bilateral relations. — VNA/VNS