(VNA): Vietnam will continue to give favourable conditions for the maintenance and development of the French-speaking community in the country, said Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Dung at a ceremony marking International Francophone Day held in Hanoi on March 18.

At the ceremony, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau of the Francophone Inter-Government Agency, Deputy Minister Dung recalled the activities of the Francophone community over the past 35 years. He cited factors that have made the purely cultural and technical alliance a political organisation, with member countries reaching 63 and co-operation expanded in all areas, from politics and culture to education, training and economics.

On behalf of the General Secretary of the International Francophone Organisation (IFO), Director of the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau Stephan Plumat thanked the Vietnamese Government and ministries, particularly the MFA, for their regular assistance to the IFO's partners.

He also spoke of four major tasks identified in the Francophone community's 10-year development strategy, which was approved at the organisation's 10th Summit in Burkina Faso last November./.