Viet Nam reaffirms commitment to Francophone Community, Deputy FM says

In an interview with the press ahead of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam's working trip to Cambodia to attend the 20th Francophonie Summit, Nguyen underscored the trip's significance in both multilateral and bilateral terms.

Following Viet Nam's participation in the 19th Francophonie Summit in France in 2024, To Lam's attendance at this year's summit demonstrates the country's consistent commitment to the Francophone Community and its support for multilateralism.

The visit also demonstrates Viet Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, resilience, multilateralization and diversification of external relations, alongside proactive and active international integration, in line with the spirit of the 14th National Party Congress, he noted.

Given the Francophone Community's diverse membership spanning several continents and encompassing countries with different interests and levels of development, Viet Nam wishes to work with other members to promote dialogue, strengthen solidarity and expand cooperation, thereby contributing to its national development, the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

During the summit, To Lam is expected to share Viet Nam's perspectives on major issues facing the Francophone Community and deliver remarks at the opening session of FrancoTech, an initiative designed to promote economic, scientific, technological and innovation cooperation among members. 

The Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that To Lam's participation in this year's summit underscores Viet Nam's support for Cambodia in its capacity as host country.

On the sidelines of the summit, his meetings and exchanges with Cambodian leaders are expected to help consolidate political trust, strengthen coordination at regional and international forums, and further advance the two countries' traditional friendship, good neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability.

The visit will also offer an opportunity for the Vietnamese leader to meet with leaders of Francophone countries to exchange views on broad orientations for strengthening substantive and effective bilateral cooperation.

Two priorities for future Francophone cooperation

At the upcoming summit, Viet Nam will focus on two major priorities, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen said.

First, Viet Nam will work with other members to uphold peace and stability, promote dialogue confidence-building, and peaceful settlement of differences and disputes in accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter and fundamental principles of international relations.

Second, Viet Nam will advocate closer alignment between Francophone cooperation and members' development needs. While maintaining the Community's traditional strengths in language, culture and education, cooperation should be expanded into economic development, science, technology, innovation and human resource development.

These priorities must be translated into concrete programs and practical outcomes to ensure that Francophone cooperation brings tangible benefits to people across member countries, said the Deputy Foreign Minister./.