Published:  00:00 Wednesday - January 05, 2011

Over the past year, a variety of events marked the new development of Vietnam-France relations, such as the eighth Conference on Vietnam-France cooperation, the French Week in Hanoi and the re-opening of the France-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Council.

In recent years, the Vietnam-France cooperation has seen significant improvements in various fields which have captured the attention of leaders from both countries. In 2010 alone, many cooperation activities were launched in 2010.

Following is an interview given by Vietnamese Ambassador to France, Le Kinh Tai to a Radio Voice of Vietnam (VOV) correspondent about the relations between Vietnam and France in 2010.

Reporter: 2010 saw instability in economy, finance, politics and social affairs in France. However, this had no great impact on France’s cooperative relations as well as its policy toward Vietnam. What is your assessment of the relations between the two countries?

Mr Tai: The cooperation between Vietnam and France remained stable over the past time and 2010 saw positive developments in bilateral relations. The Vietnam-France time-honoured relationship has been maintained for years not only by the current French Government but also previous governments and French people. Vietnam and France have consolidated their relations on different levels: between governments, parliaments, people, and economic groups to-economic groups. This has tightened their relations more.

Last year also witnessed remarkable improvements in bilateral cooperation with a variety of events marking a new development in Vietnam-France relations. The eighth Vietnam-France local conference in Hai Phong was a case in point.

Cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities is considered of high importance and more than 30 Vietnamese provinces and cities established links with 30 of their French counterparts.

The eighth conference provided a good opportunity for localities from both countries to share experiences and sign a number of cooperation agreements which brought their relations closer.

The second event was the French Week in Hanoi, during which, French businesses introduced activities regarding joint ventures and connectivity between the two countries.

The third prominent event was the re-opening of the France-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Council. Secretary of State for Foreign Trade of the French Ministry of Economics, Pierre Lellouche came to visit Vietnam to join such events and spoke with Vietnamese representatives producing substantial and specific results in our countries’ cooperation.

Reporter: Did senior leaders from both countries pay much attention to boosting Vietnam-France cooperation?

Mr Tai: France is very keen on cooperation with Vietnam. At a meeting of the France-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Council, Mr Pierre Lellouche reaffirmed all the French Government’s commitments to Vietnam, especially those made during French Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s visit to Vietnam in November, 2009.

Reporter: What major areas will France and Vietnam focus on in 2010?

Mr Tai: Next year, both countries will boost their cooperation in energy, transport, healthcare and the environment. Currently, France is very interested in developing civilian nuclear energy which is also the area that concerns Vietnam. However, it is essential to clarify the possibility and demands of both sides so that necessary agreements can be reached.

Reporter: What are the advantages and disadvantages in the current cooperation between the two countries?

Mr Tai: Generally, relations between Vietnam and France are growing well in terms of politics, economics and social affairs. Vietnam and France are building a strategic partnership.

In a recent visit to France of Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Cuong, they discussed ways to remove any obstacles to their cooperation.

I am very optimistic about the future of Vietnam-France relations because both sides have showed great determination to elevate the current relations to a strategic partnership. In that spirit, Vietnam-France relations will see new developments through major and specific projects launched for the benefit of both nations.

Reporter: Thank you very much.