Phạm Anh Tuấn, Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee, held talks at the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE) with Olivier Brochet, Ambassador of France to Vietnam; Pierre du Ville, Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation to Vietnam; and Touch Sopharat, Ambassador of Cambodia to Vietnam.
During discussions with the French ambassador, Phạm Anh Tuấn said cooperation between Gia Lai and French partners had expanded in recent years across science and technology, education, environmental protection, renewable energy, investment promotion and trade.
He highlighted the role of the Rencontres du Vietnam Association and ICISE, founded by Professor Trần Thanh Vân, in strengthening scientific links between Vietnam and France. Since 2013, ICISE has hosted numerous international scientific conferences involving scientists and experts from around the world, including Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureates.
The provincial chairman said Gia Lai hoped the French Embassy would continue supporting efforts to connect the province with French businesses, experts and organizations in areas including science, technology, education, renewable energy and investment. He also called for support in French language teaching, teacher training and the development of a local French-language learning environment.
Ambassador Olivier Brochet praised Vietnam’s role within the Francophone community and reaffirmed France’s support for cooperation programs with Gia Lai, particularly in education, science and technology, climate change and oceanographic research.
He also expressed hope that projects including the BIOMASS satellite signal receiving station, the Oceanographic Monitoring Station and a climate change dialogue program in Quy Nhơn would soon be implemented.
In talks with Pierre du Ville, Phạm Anh Tuấn said Gia Lai had strong potential to expand cooperation with Francophone partners in high-tech agriculture, agricultural processing, digital transformation, education and sustainable development.
He noted that the province’s agricultural strengths, including coffee, pepper and fruit production, together with its diverse natural conditions, created favorable conditions for green agriculture and climate adaptation.
The chairman said Gia Lai hoped the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation would continue supporting investment promotion, business networking, cultural exchange, scientific cooperation and French-language training.
Pierre du Ville praised Gia Lai’s development potential and the role of ICISE in connecting international scientific and Francophone communities. He also pledged continued support for cooperation in education, science and technology, environmental protection and climate adaptation.
During a separate meeting with Cambodian Ambassador Touch Sopharat, Phạm Anh Tuấn reviewed recent cooperation activities between Gia Lai and Cambodian localities.
Gia Lai has organized working visits to the Cambodian provinces of Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom to strengthen trade, investment and business connectivity, he said.
The provincial administration has also implemented cooperation memoranda and maintained regular exchanges with Cambodian partners to advance agreed initiatives.
Phạm Anh Tuấn said Gia Lai hoped Cambodia would continue supporting trade cooperation, logistics development, modernization of border gates and the implementation of the “One Stop - One Halt” mechanism and digital border gates at the Lệ Thanh-Oyadav International Border Gate.
Touch Sopharat welcomed the proposals and said Cambodia was focusing on removing trade barriers with the aim of increasing bilateral trade turnover to 20 billion USD in the near future.
She also reaffirmed Cambodia’s continued support for Vietnam, including Gia Lai province, in the search, collection and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia.
