Prime Minister urges France to facilitate imports of Vietnamese farm produce

The Vietnamese Government always treasures the strategic partnership with France, reiterated Pham, expressing thanks to France for donating 5.5 million vaccine doses to help Viet Nam fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The host expected that the two nations will endorse close coordination and take advantages brought by the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to boost bilateral trade ties.

He took the occasion to call on France to soon ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to enhance win-win economic cooperation and urge the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the "yellow card" against Viet Nam's seafoods.

Olivier Becht, for his side, spoke highly of the two nations' economic, trade and investment ties, regarding it as a crucial pillar in the bilateral relationship.

Remarkably, in 2022, the two-way trade value hit US$5.3 billion, up 10 percent against the previous year.

French enterprises hope to accelerate the implementation of key economic cooperation projects of the two countries, including the Nhon-Ha Noi Station urban railway route in the capital city of Ha Noi, the guest said.

He vowed to bolster collaboration with Viet Nma in areas of France's advantages such as climate change adaption, urban transport infrastructure, health, energy, aviation and e-Government.

The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the East Sea and highlighted the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the sea.

They also stressed the significance of settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)./.