At a January 16-18 conference in Paris exploring the development of France-Europe-Vietnam relations since 1954, Piercy spoke buoyantly about military medicine cooperation between France and Vietnam and how it has vigorously expanded on a number fronts.
Keynote speakers also addressed cross cutting issues such as, cooperation in national defence, politics, economics, trade, culture, science and education.
Speakers recounted the major milestones of France-Vietnam cooperation, starting from the opening of a defence attaché office in 1991 at the French Embassy in Vietnam to the signing of a host of cooperation agreements in areas such as military medicine, officer training, visit exchanges and French naval ship visits to Vietnam.
Earlier, they reminisced about French President Francois Hallande and Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visits to Vietnam last year.
Major General Danial Schaeffer, former first defence attaché to Vietnam, said defence cooperation between the two countries will unquestionably see bright prospects in the future, not only in supplying military technologies but also in officer training to assist Vietnamese soldiers to use modernised military equipment.
He emphasised the importance of legal cooperation related to East Sea between France and Vietnam, saying such model needs to further transform into cooperation between European and Southeast Asian nations to ensure maritime freedom of the international seas.
The seminar gathered historians, experts and witnesses who provided comprehensive insight into Vietnam, France and Europe relations from the signing of the 1954 Geneva Agreement to the signing of the 2013 strategic partnership agreement.
After the Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954, which ended the aggressive war of French colonialism, Vietnam-France ties have experienced many upheavals.
The establishment of diplomatic ties in 1973 opened a new chapter in bilateral relations and marked a historical turning point.
Over the past 40 years, France and Vietnam have developed a special relationship which has manifested itself through many agreements and cooperative mechanisms in numerous fields. France-Vietnam dialogue has also developed into a multilateral dialogue, especially through the Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM).
The seminar was organised by Paris I Pantheon-Sorbone, Hanoi National University, French Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry as part of the 2014 Vietnam-France Year and the 40th celebration of bilateral diplomatic ties.
