(VOVworld) – During a reception for visiting French President Francois Hollande in Hanoi on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he was delighted at the results of talks between Mr. Hollande and President Tran Dai Quang and the positive cooperation between the two countries.

(Photo: VGP)

Mr. Phuc said the Vietnamese government would do its utmost to deepen the Strategic Partnership with France. He said he hoped France will continue to maintain its ODA for Vietnam, particularly in infrastructure, climate change adaptation, and poverty reduction. He urged efforts to double two-way trade turnover, which stood at 4.2 billion USD in 2015, lower than potential. The Prime Minister expressed his concerns over terrorism and his sympathy for the French people’s great losses as a result of terrorist actions. He said he expected France to support ASEAN’s views on maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and settling the East Sea issue peacefully on the basis of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

President Hollande said France prioritized its economic cooperation with Vietnam and wants to further bilateral cooperation in science-technology, technological transfer, education, training, agriculture, and culture. He added that France would continue to help Vietnam in any areas it needs, including adaptation to climate change and sea level rises and environmental protection.