Ha Noi Summit reaffirms ties with Francophone body
HA NOI — In honour of Francophone Day a solemn ceremony was held in Ha Noi yesterday, co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Regional Bureau of Asia Pacific (BRAP) from the International Francophone Organisation (OIF).
At the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem emphasised the meaning of this year’s celebration: to mark the 10th anniversary of the Ha Noi Summit, the first Francophone summit in Asia. At the summit, the OIF general secretary was chosen and enhancing economic, cultural and political co-operation was made a priority.
Khiem expressed his appreciation for the helpfulness, co-operative attitude and support for Viet Nam the Francophone community has exhibited over the past 10 years.
The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed Viet Nam’s continued commitment to the community and urged it to pay attention to economic co-operation to enhance the relationship between the Francophone countries and show the utility of relationships between developed countries and developing countries in reducing the gap between them.
BRAP director Patrice Bureil expressed his appreciation for the important role of the Ha Noi Summit in the development of the growing community. The director applauded Vietnamese achievement in meeting the Millennium goals, entering the World Trade Organisation and organising the APEC economic leaders’ meeting.
OIF’s projects in Viet Nam were to diversify the culture and popularise French, the director said. He pledged OIF’s support for the country in training law staff, boosting negotiation skills and implementing new technology.
He expressed his appreciation for the Viet Nam Government’s attention to its relationship with OIF.
Vietnam News Agency - March 21, 2007
|