Antananarivo (VNA) – Vietnam is ready to intensify economic cooperation withFrancophone countries and share experience in socio-economic development withthem, especially African nations, President Tran Dai Quang has said.

He madethe remark while addressing the opening session of the 16th FrancophonieSummit in Madagascar’s capital city of Antananarivo on November 26 morning(local time).

He saidmembers of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) have workedclosely with other international and regional organisations, especially theUnited Nations and the African Alliance, to step up preventing and resolvingmany conflicts, crises, political unrests and terrorism in some member nations,thereby actively contributing to maintaining peace, security and stability inthe Francophone community and around the world.

They havealso obtained important outcomes in realising the Millennium Development Goals,especially in poverty eradication, educational and healthcare service quality improvement,environmental protection, gender equality promotion, and child care andprotection.

PresidentQuang said Vietnam welcomes the Francophone community’s efforts to enhance thelanguage and culture diversification, the protection of each country’s culturalidentities amid globalisation, and the increase of economic partnershipsbetween OIF members and other countries around the world. It is pleased withthe OIF countries’ contributions to global joint efforts to reach importantagreements, particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the ParisAgreement on Climate Change, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development.

As an active and responsible member of the Francophone community,Vietnam has proactively implemented the community’s strategies and cooperationprogrammes, thus helping to solidify the solidarity, unity and cooperationamong OIF members, he noted.

Vietnam welcomes the summit’s theme, “Shared growth and responsibledevelopment: conditions for stability around the world and within LaFrancophonie”, hesaid, asking the member countries to enhance cooperation and solidarity forpeace, stability and sustainable development.

The Vietnamese leader called on the Francophone community to promote theimplementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,while helping its member nations to include the Sustainable Development Goalsand the commitments in the Paris Agreement in their national developmentstrategies and programmes.

The OIF countries also need to actively join global and regional effortsto promote peace, security and stability in the member nations and the world atlarge.

President Quang asked the Francophone community to continue an objectivevoice in the East Sea issue and call on relevant parties to not use force orthreaten to use force, settle disputes by peaceful means on the basis ofinternational law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,respect diplomatic and legal processes, adhere to the Declaration on theConduct of Parties in the East Sea, and work to soon finalise a Code of Conductin the East Sea.

He stressed that in a fluid world today, no countries, regardless of bigor small, rich or poor, can unilaterally deal with traditional andnon-traditional security challenges effectively.

To tackle those challenges, OIF countries and the entire internationalcommunity must unite and closely cooperate with one another, he noted.

Vietnam is ready to be a bridge linking the OIF and ASEAN, as well as theAsia-Pacific, so as to join hands for peace, stability and sustainabledevelopment, the leader added.

In hisspeech, on behalf of the Vietnamese State and people, he also sent the deepestcondolences to the State and people of Cuba on the passing-away of leader FidelCastro.

The 16th FrancophonieSummit attracted presidents, prime ministers and senior leaders of 80 OIFmember countries, along with representatives of many international and regionalorganisations.-VNA