General Secretary and President To Lam and his entourage arrive at Orly Airport on October 3 to participate in the 19th Francophonie Summit and to make an official visit to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.
Speaking at the Francophone Business Forum on Innovation and Creativity - FrancoTech 2024, To Lam highly appreciates the initiative of France and the International Organization of La Francophonie to organize this forum, emphasizing that this is the most concrete and practical action to uphold the theme of the summit of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in French.
At the forum, the Vietnamese leader and the Benin President witness the signing of an agriculture cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Benin.
On October 4 morning, General Secretary and President To Lam receives Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux, Honorary President of the French Business Confederation, President of the Alliance of Francophone Employers, and Founder of Notus Technologies. During the meeting, To Lam affirms Vietnam’s commitment to supporting and creating favorable conditions for the member businesses of the French Business Confederation, as well as foreign businesses in general, to operate successfully and effectively in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)
On October 4 afternoon, at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, General Secretary and President To Lam has brief meetings with President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, President Andry Nirina Rajoelina of Madagascar, and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana. In the photo, General Secretary and President To Lam and other heads of state and government poses for a group photo at the opening ceremony of the 19th Francophonie Summit. (Photo: baoquocte.vn).
Also at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, General Secretary and President To Lam attends the 19th Francophonie Summit, themed “Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in French.” The summit brings together representatives from nearly 100 member countries of the Francophone community, as well as Francophone institutions and international and regional organizations. (Photo: VNA)
On October 5 morning in Paris, General Secretary and President To Lam meets with nearly 30 distinguished experts and intellectuals from the Vietnamese diaspora in France, the UK, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. During the meeting, the intellectuals share their experiences and offer suggestions on various issues, including multilateral cooperation in technology and artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, growth and development, as well as major challenges in the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) for economic growth, and the benefits of applying blockchain technology in health care. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)
On the same day, General Secretary and President To Lam holds bilateral meetings with leaders of Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Laos, Cambodia, Mauritania various countries. Meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, To Lam affirms that Vietnam values its comprehensive partnership with Canada on the basis of mutual benefit and trust, contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability, and development regionally and globally. (Photo:VNA)
At his meeting with Secretary General of La Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo, General Secretary and President To Lam praises the strong cooperation between Vietnam and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), as well as the contributions of the OIF and Mushikiwabo to promoting solidarity and Francophone cooperation for peace, stability, and development.
General Secretary and President To Lam met with Benoit De Saint-Exupery, Executive Vice President Sales of Airbus, along with leaders from Safran Group. To Lam congratulated Airbus on maintaining its position as the largest commercial aircraft manufacturer in the world for the fifth consecutive year, and noted that Airbus planes, with their high quality and modern technology, have been effectively utilized by state-owned corporations and private enterprises in Vietnam, helping to enhance the connectivity of the economy and contribute to domestic socio-economic development.
On October 5 afternoon, General Secretary and President To Lam attends the award ceremony of the Francophone Economic Forum, which honours Vietnam’s FPT Corporation and Madagascar’s Made For A Woman company.
General Secretary and President To Lam then attends and delivers a speech at the session on reformed multilateralism. There, To Lam affirms the irreplaceable role of multilateral mechanisms, while highlighting the contributions of the OIF and Francophone institutions to addressing common concerns of the international community, as well as to establishing frameworks and principles for emerging issues.
After attending the 19th Francophonie Summit, General Secretary and President To Lam begins an official visit to France on October 6. In the photo, To Lam and his encourage laid flowers in memory of President Ho Chi Minh at Montreau Park in Montreuil.
To Lam on October 6 attends the inauguration of the commemorative plaque named after President Ho Chi Minh, a national liberation hero and an outstanding cultural figure of Vietnam, in the city of Sainte Adresse.
Meeting with the Mayor of Le Havre, Edouard Philippe, the two sides emphasize the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On October 7, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu hosts a welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President To Lam and his encourage.
Later on October 7, French President Emmanuel Macron receives General Secretary and President To Lam at the Élysée Palace in the capital city of Paris.
The two leaders hold a joint press conference, highlighting the importance of increasing the strategic partnership between Vietnam and France.
During the talks, the two leaders agree to upgrade Vietnam – France relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in line with the evolving cooperation framework between the two countries. France becomes the first EU member state to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)
General Secretary and President To Lam and French President Emmanuel Macron witness the signing of a number of cooperation documents between Vietnam and France in the fields of diplomacy, culture, education, transportation, and internal affairs.
General Secretary and President To Lam meets with the President of the French National Assembly, the President of the French Senate, the National Secretary of the French Communist Party, and the leadership of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association.
On October 7 afternoon, General Secretary and President To Lam makes a call at the headquarters of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France. Meeting with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, To Lam lauds UNESCO’s role and contributions to maintaining peace and security and promoting sustainable development worldwide through fostering multilateral cooperation in education, culture, science, information, and communication.
On October 7 evening, General Secretary and President To Lam and his entourage left Paris for Hanoi, concluding their successful activities during the 19th Francophonie Summit and the official visit to France. (Photo: VNA)