Paris (VNA) – A wide range of activities havebeen held in 2023 in celebration of major anniversaries of the Vietnam - Francerelations, reflecting both sides’ support for the two countries’ cooperationand creating strong confidence in the bright prospect of bilateral ties,said Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, the diplomat said the diverseactivities held this year to mark major anniversaries of bilateral relations,including 50 years since the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship, and the 10th anniversaryof the strategic partnership, have demonstrated the maturity and profounddevelopment of their relations.

Notably, the phone talks between Party General SecretaryNguyen Phu Trong and French President Emmanuel Macron on October 20, as well asthe meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Macron on thesidelines of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28)on December 2 once again affirmed the close high-level opinion exchanges,common perceptions, and shared vision about orientations for the enhancement ofbilateral relations.

The two sides have also held ministerial-level visits in manykey cooperation areas, along with trips to France by over 50 delegations ofVietnamese ministries, sectors, localities, businesses, and partners, Thangsaid.

The year marks the resumption of bilateralcooperation mechanisms such as the Vietnam - France decentralisedcooperation conference (in April), the political consultation between twodepartments for regional affairs of the countries’ foreign ministries (inDecember), and the defence strategy and cooperation dialogue (in December).

The Vietnamese community in France and the French people’sassociations for solidarity, friendship, and cooperation with Vietnam have alsoimplemented various activities across the European country.

Besides, he noted, the successful repatriation of the Nguyen Dynasty's golden imperial seal of “Hoang de chi bao” after over one year of negotiations and procedure settlement, with support fromthe Vietnamese community and French authorities, was also an importantmilestone.

The ambassador held that those activities demonstrate thegreat support from Vietnamese and French partners for the two countries’cooperation and enhance their confidence in the bright prospect of bilateralrelations.

The Vietnam - France relations have built up in terms of bothquantity and quality, but there remains huge potential for the two countries tofurther intensify partnerships, especially as both are facing big requirementsfor national development and contributions to the international community’scommon efforts for peace and cooperation, he went on.

Thang said activities held across regions and spheres thisyear have shown that the two sides have managed to form a highly diverse systemof partners at all levels, from central to local authorities, from ministries andsectors to businesses, and from associations to cultural and educational institutions.

Thepositive results obtained recently have formed an encouragement, a steppingstone, and also an impetus for the two sides to bolster connectivity andcooperation effectiveness and to seek new orientations and projects meeting bothsides’ requirements in the current period, he opined.

Vietnamand France are holding many opportunities to lift their cooperation to a newheight in the coming years and decades. The numerous activities in multipleareas in 2023 have illustrated leaders’ determination, people’s support,partners’ activeness, and important bases for developing bilateral relationsmore intensively and fruitfully.

Theflourishing cooperation between the two countries will meet interests of both Vietnamand France, helping them continue consolidating their strength and footholds ina changing world and in response to common challenges, according to thediplomat./.