VietNamNet Bridge – Russia is a leading and important foreign partner for Viet Nam, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung told the leader of St Petersburg soon after his arrival in the Russian city on Saturday.

NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung (right) meets St Petersburg Acting Governor Igor Divinsky on his official visit to Moscow.

Speaking at a meeting with the city's acting governor, Igor Divinsky, Hung said his visit was aimed at strengthening the traditional relationship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the Russian and Vietnamese nations, parliaments, and peoples.

He called on St Petersburg to bolster co-operation with Ha Noi, HCM City, and the central province of Nghe An, especially to protect cultural heritages and tap the tourism potential.

He also called on the city to continue creating favourable conditions for its Vietnamese community to ensure its members have a stable life and live in harmony with locals, contributing to the development of St Petersburg as well as the friendship between the two countries.

Divinsky said his city was willing to co-operate with Vietnamese cities and provinces in areas like the economy, culture, tourism, and education, contributing to a more fruitful and effective cooperation between the two countries.

The NA leader later met with the acting chairman of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Sergey Andenko, during which he called for closer co-operation with the Vietnamese NA and people's councils around Viet Nam.

Andenko said Viet Nam and the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation boasted a time-honoured friendship.

He said the city authorities were actively seeking co-operation agreements with Ha Noi.

St. Petersburg wanted to further co-operate with the Vietnamese legislature as well as cities and provinces, thus helping advance the strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.

Hung and his entourage visited the Winter Palace before for Moscow.

Russia is the first leg of his tour of three European countries which will also take him to Germany and Poland.

His visit to Russian comes at the invitation of the Chairwoman of the Federation Council (Upper House) of Russia 's Federal Assembly, Valentina Matviyenko.

Source: VNS