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| Vice Presidents of the Île de France Region welcomed Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen and the delegation. (Photo: SGGP) |
On June 26 (local time), within the framework of a working visit to France, the Ho Chi Minh City high-level delegation paid a courtesy visit to the leaders of the Île de France Region.
Ms. Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île de France Region, and Vice Presidents of the Île de France Region, received the delegation.
At the meeting, Mr. Nen expressed his pleasure to visit France at a very meaningful time. It was the occasion that the two countries are carrying out many activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership.
He also expressed his impression that the Île de France region occupies only about 2% of the area but contributes to 30% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France; there are about 12.2 million people with more than 1 million operating businesses.
According to the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, over the past time, along with the development of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and France, the local cooperative relationship between the two sides has also developed very positively. In particular, in April 2023, Ho Chi Minh City and the Île de France Region actively participated in the 12th Vietnam-France Cooperation Conference in Hanoi.
He added that Ho Chi Minh City is a major center of economy, culture, education and training, science and technology, a hub for international exchange and integration of Vietnam, with a population of more than 14 million people, where nearly 300,000 businesses are operating. Currently, France has nearly 340 projects with a total investment of USD310 million, ranking 16th out of 119 countries and territories investing in Ho Chi Minh City. The potential for cooperation between the two sides is still huge.
He welcomed and committed to creating all favorable conditions for French businesses, including those from the Île de France region, to invest and participate in business activities in the city. He also wished the leaders of the Île de France Region to promote cooperation in areas where France has strengths and Ho Chi Minh City has needs, including urban planning, transportation networks, smart city construction and environmental treatment.
“We hope that today's meeting will open up new opportunities for cooperation and friendship between the two localities in the future, contributing to further deepening the Vietnam-France Strategic Partnership," he said.
The President and the Vice Presidents of the Île de France Regional Council warmly welcomed the delegation and shared contents of mutual interest.
The two sides agreed to deploy three main content groups for cooperation, namely economic development, ecological transformation and conservation and promotion of heritage values.
In sharing and cooperating on experience in planning the development of the Seine River, in addition to serving economic development, this is also closely related to urban planning.
Along with that, it is promoting cooperation and exchange of experiences with the region on the conservation and promotion of the value of monuments, public works and villas of cultural and historical value built by France previously in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, the two sides will also cooperate and implement programs to develop the Francophone community in Ho Chi Minh City./.