France backs Vietnam’s stance on East Sea issue

National Secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF) Pierre Laurent was speaking at a working session with Politburo member and permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Secretariat Le Hong Anh in Paris on October 16.

Pierre Laurent hailed the special PCF-CPV relationship with historical features while underlining the need to boost practical cooperation between the two parties in the current global situation.

The PCF leader thanked the CPV for significantly contributing to the success of the "Humanitarian" press festival held in July which has helped step up communications and reinforce solidarity among the world communists.

Pierre Laurent showed his keen interest in the second theory seminar between the two Parties set for May next year in Vietnam, confirming that his party will actively collaborate with the CPV in preparatory work and will send a high-level delegation to attend the event.

He also agreed with the Vietnamese Party and State’s guidelines to further the Vietnam-France strategic partnership joint statement in the spirit of the high-level Vietnam-France joint statement released in September 2013.

Hong Anh, in turn, thanked the PCF and French people for their support and assistance given to Vietnam’s past struggle for national liberation and unification and the current national construction and defence.

“The CPV delegation’s visit aims to elevate the Vietnam-France strategic partnership as well as the relations between the two parties to even greater heights” Anh noted.

The Vietnamese Party official also updated his host on the socio-economic situation in Vietnam in recent times, a review of 30 years of pursuing the Doi Moi (Renewal) and preparations for the CPV National Congress slated for early 2016.

He also affirmed Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, openness, multilateralization and diversification of international relations, striving for peace, independence and development. The country is keen to expand external relations, boost deeper international integration while being a reliable partner and responsible member of the international community, he added.

The same day, the Vietnamese delegation also had a working session with the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (PS) Jean-Christophe Cambadelis and the PS leadership.

The two sides had in-depth discussions about the global situation and developments in the East Sea, briefed each other on the situation in their respective country, and examined ways to promote bilateral relations between Vietnam and France, and between the CPV and the PS as the two ruling parties, both at central and local levels.

(VOV)