Jacques Oudin, an honorary member of the French Senate, was speaking at a press conference in Ha Noi on September 19 after a meeting with his Vietnamese co-chairman Cao Viet Sinh, the Vice Minister of Planning and Investment.

Those French companies who were interested in the event were operating in many important fields including aviation, telecom, energy, metallurgy, banking and insurance, pharmacy, construction and water treatment, said Oudin, who is also an Adviser-Master of the French Court of Auditors.

Oudin said he and Vice Minister Sinh had discussed the first HCDCE meeting with two sessions held in the French Senate building.

A number of documents about Viet Nam’s rapid economic development will be released at that time, including a development roadmap approved by the 10th Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and a five-year socio-economic development plan drafted by Vietnamese government.

Documents concerning French official development aid for Viet Nam and the legal changes when Viet Nam becomes a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will also be introduced at the event.

The two sides will discuss areas of priority in their relationship, including rail and road transport infrastructure; aviation and cosmos transportation; energies such as nuclear power, petroleum and hydropower; telecommunication; environmental issues such as industrial and medical waste disposal; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; banking, financial and insurance services; food technology and bio-technology; distribution and logistics; and tourism.

The Supreme Council will discuss two other important areas - training high-ranking officials and skilled technicians for the above-mentioned areas and developing industrial and high-tech zones for French companies in Viet Nam.

At the press conference, Oudin said that cooperation between France and Viet Nam has produced encouraging developments including a number of recent visits by French officials. A framework agreement on the two countries’ partnership was signed during a working visit by French Minister for Cooperation, Development and Francophony Brigitte Girardin last week.

HCDCE, a unique model for cooperation between France and a foreign partner, was established under a joint decision by the French President, Jacques Chirac, and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, Nong Duc Manh, in June 2005. It was created so as to direct, strengthen and mobilize resources to implement specific projects, so as to further accelerate the economic, trade and investment cooperation between France and Viet Nam, and also politic and cultural cooperation