Ambassador Nguyễn Thị Vân Anh (left) and Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo. — VNA/VNS Photo

PARIS — Ambassador Nguyễn Thị Vân Anh presented her credentials to Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo at the OIF headquarters in Paris on Thursday (local time), officially assuming her role as Permanent Representative of the State President to the Permanent Council of La Francophonie.

At a reception following the credential presentation ceremony, Secretary-General Mushikiwabo congratulated the diplomat on her new assignment, expressing her admiration for and congratulations on Việt Nam’s socio-economic development achievements and international integration. She spoke highly of Việt Nam’s role, position, and contributions within the Francophone Community.

The Secretary-General expressed her appreciation for the consistent participation of Vietnamese leaders in Francophonie Summits, most recently Party General Secretary Tô Lâm’s leading of a high-level Vietnamese delegation to the 19th Francophonie Summit held in France in 2024. She voiced her hope that Việt Nam will continue to attend at a high level the 20th Francophonie Summit scheduled to take place in Cambodia in November this year.

Noting that the international situation and multilateralism are facing numerous challenges, she affirmed her commitment to working closely with Việt Nam and other member states to enhance cooperation and solidarity for the benefit of their peoples. She stressed that the Francophone Community will step up multifaceted cooperation with Việt Nam, including in French language education and economic collaboration. She also said she looks forward to her planned visit to Việt Nam in early March.

For her part, the diplomat, who is also Head of Việt Nam’s Permanent Delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), thanked Secretary-General Mushikiwabo for her warm sentiments towards Việt Nam and conveyed greetings from Vietnamese leaders to the head of the OIF.

The ambassador briefed the Secretary-General on the successful outcomes of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam. She underscored Việt Nam’s multilateral foreign policy and its proactive and comprehensive international integration in the new context, affirming that Việt Nam always attaches importance to cooperation with the Francophone Community and remains an active and responsible member of the OIF.

She pledged to make every effort to work closely with other OIF member states and the Secretariat to further strengthen cooperation between Việt Nam and the Francophone Community, enhance Việt Nam’s engagement at Francophone forums, and raise the role and image of the Francophone Community in the Asia-Pacific region. She also reaffirmed her determination to effectively realise the shared goals of the Francophone Community, thereby contributing to peace, stability, and sustainable development in member states and worldwide.

Welcoming the Secretary-General’s upcoming visit to Việt Nam, the diplomat affirmed that relevant Vietnamese agencies are making active preparations to ensure its success. — VNA/VNS