Vietnam takes part in La Francophonie ministerial meeting

Hanoi, October 13 (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation attended the 31st Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan from October 10-11, which attracted nearly 30 foreign ministers of francophone countries and leaders of French-speaking organisations. The event reviewed the implementation of decisions at the 2014 Summit of La Francophonie and discussed ways to boost peace and stability in member nations such as the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Mali, highlighting efforts to promote cultural and language diversity. Delegates emphasised the need to enhance economic cooperation among member countries and support the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals. The conference agreed to ratify resolutions on fostering peace, diversity and mutual understanding; coping with climate change; the role of the youth; and migration and genocide-related issues. Leading the Vietnamese delegation to the event, Assistant to the Foreign Minister Duong Chi Dung highlighted Vietnam’s socio-economic development attainments and its foreign policy for peace, cooperation, development and active international integration. He asked the Francophone community to advocate the peaceful settlement of East Sea disputes with respect to international law, the United Nations Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; urge the effective and full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea; and promote the finalisation of a code of conduct in the waters. On the fringe of the conference, Dung had meetings with heads of other delegations and the International Organisation of La Francophonie to bolster Vietnam’s partnership with the Francophone community and call for their support to Vietnam’s bid for a seat at the UN Economic and Social Council for the 2016 – 2018 term, the UNESCO Executive Board for the 2015 – 2019 term, and the UN Security Council for the 2020 – 2021 term./.