Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang held talks with French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, Thierry Mariani, in Hanoi on January 13.

Thang highlighted the comprehensive cooperation and active support from the French Government for Vietnam’s transport sector in recent times, especially in the fields of railways, aviation and urban transport.

The two ministers discussed ways to speed up the ongoing French-funded projects, such as the upgrade of Yen Vien – Lao Cai railway line and the traffic signal system on the Hanoi-Vinh railway section. They agreed that it is necessary to resolve difficulties in policies and capital sources to accelerate the progress of these projects as planned.

Both ministers agreed to cooperate in infrastructure development projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, open new air routes in 2012 and train Vietnamese staff in the fields of aviation management, maritime, railway and urban transport.

The French minister is paying a working visit to Vietnam from January 13-15 at the invitation of Minister Thang.

(VOV)