Deputy Minister Lê Thị Thu Hằng (right) received the delegation from the Committee on Defence and Armed Forces of the French National Assembly, led by Chairman Jean-Michel Jacques in Hà Nội on June 2. — Photo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng on Tuesday received a delegation from the National Defence and Armed Forces Committee of the French National Assembly, led by its Chairman Jean-Michel Jacques, during their working visit to Việt Nam.

Welcoming the delegation, Hằng highly valued the visit and highlighted the special connections in history and culture between Việt Nam and France. She noted that despite ups and downs in the past, bilateral relations have reached a new height, becoming a model of strategic partnership, with France being the first European Union (EU) member state to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Việt Nam.

The Deputy Minister reaffirmed that Việt Nam attaches great importance to its cooperation with France and expressed satisfaction at the positive development of bilateral relations across all fields, including the important contributions made by the two countries' legislative bodies.

Appreciating France's long-standing contributions to Việt Nam in areas such as transport infrastructure, industry and health care, Hằng proposed that the two sides continue to enhance exchanges and delegation visits at all levels and through various channels.

She stressed the need to further promote economic and trade cooperation as a key pillar of bilateral ties and jointly advance symbolic projects in the Việt Nam-France relationship.

She also called on the French National Assembly to early ratify the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and back efforts to persuade the European Commission (EC) to remove its "yellow card" warning on Vietnamese seafood exports. In addition, she expressed hope that French lawmakers would continue supporting people-to-people exchanges, local-level cooperation and preparations for the 13th Việt Nam-France Decentralised Cooperation Conference to be held in France.

For his part, Jean-Michel Jacques said he was pleased to visit Việt Nam at a time when the two countries' Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is developing positively. He said Việt Nam-France relations are unique and special, built on a shared history, and praised the Vietnamese people for their admirable qualities.

Against the backdrop of an increasingly complex international landscape, he called for stronger cooperation in economic, agricultural, cultural and strategic fields.

The French legislator affirmed the support of French parliamentarians for the early ratification of EVIPA and the removal of the EC's IUU yellow card on Việt Nam. He also pledged to contribute to the effective implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and promote people-to-people exchanges, cultural connectivity and cooperation between localities of the two countries.

The two sides agreed to make defence and security one of the key pillars of bilateral relations through cooperation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, search and rescue activities, and military officer training. They also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in maritime areas, including the East Sea, and resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). — VNA/VNS