Vietnam seeks to strengthen collaboration with OIF

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (right) meets Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) in Hanoi on March 24.(Photo: VNA)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo discussed measures to strengthen cooperation between Vietnam and OIF in the future during their meeting in Hanoi on March 24.

The Vietnamese diplomat noted the significance of the official visit by the OIF Secretary-General and the first Francophone trade and economic promotion delegation to Vietnam, describing it as an important milestone in the relationship between Vietnam and the Francophone community.

The minister affirmed his support for the OIF's efforts in promoting the use of French, cultural persity, and high-quality education, especially the organisation's initiatives to strengthen economic cooperation in the Francophone space, which he said would contribute importantly to the post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery.

Vietnam's policy is to continue to proactively participate in the activities of the OIF as an active and responsible member of the Francophone community, Son said. He also made some specific proposals on how to promote collaboration between the two sides in the fields of economy and trade, especially with African countries, and in the teaching of French and in French.

The minister suggested the OIF help with the training relating to professional skills and French for Vietnamese forces participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations, as well as the strengthening of relations between Vietnam and the African Union (AU).

He thanked the organisation for its concerns towards regional issues including those in the South China Sea (called East Sea by Vietnam), and expressed his hope that it will advocate adherence to fundamental principles of international law, which include the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

For her part, Mushikiwabo emphasised that OIF highly respects the important role and position of Vietnam in the Francophone community, saying the visit by the first economic and trade promotion mission of the OIF this time is only the start of a collaboration process between Vietnamese and French-speaking businesses.

She suggested that the two sides come up with detailed plans to make the best of the result of the visit and take the economic cooperation between Vietnam and Francophone countries to a higher level.

The OIF Secretary-General affirmed that the Francophone community will strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the teaching of French and in French. It will assist the country in making preparations for participating in UN peacekeeping operations, as well as make efforts to promote cooperative relations between Vietnam and the AU, for the benefit of all parties./.