President Tran Dai Quang and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on June 29 (local time) expressed particular interest in strengthening commercial cooperation, agreeing on investing more than 10 billion USD in both country.

Tran Dai Quang and Vladimir Putin shake hands at their talks in Moscow on June 29

At a joint press conference following talks between the two leaders in Moscow, the two leaders announced that the investment will be poured into 20 priority projects, including a joint Vietnamese-Russian oil and gas enterprise, the construction of a light industrial zone in Moscow and projects carried out by Vietnamese dairy group TH in some Russian localities.

Another 500 million USD would be spent on projects with high potentials in new areas of bilateral cooperation like agriculture or medicinal herbs, the leaders said.

The two countries have also set an ambitious target of raising bilateral trade to 10 billion USD by 2020.

Oil and gas will remain the top priority sector for cooperation between the two countries, Putin said.

Vietsovpetro, a Vietnam-Russia joint venture, accounts for a third of the crude oil extracted in Vietnam.

Putin said Russia is committed to providing Vietnam with LPG and other fuels. He also said Russian enterprises are ready to join in modernizing Vietnam’s power plants and help the country build new power plants.

The two leaders also agreed to coordinate closely with each other in implementing the Vietnam-Eurasia Economic Union (VN-EAEU) Free Trade Agreement in order to fully exploit its advantages for further cooperation in trade and investment.

The FTA, involving Vietnam, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, was signed in May 2015 and took effect on October 5 last year.

Vietnam and Russia are committed to creating favourable conditions for enterprises to step up trading, including signing agreements on food safety management and promoting payment in Vietnamese Dong and the Russian rouble, the leaders said.

Joint ventures to assemble and produce cars in Vietnam will soon be set up and cooperation stepped up in energy and infrastructure. The two sides will also consider the possibility for continuing cooperation in the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

The two nations have also agreed to tighten coordination in humanitarian field. In 2019, the two countries will celebrate the 25th anniversary of a treaty on basic principles for the bilateral friendship, hence they will designate 2019 as the Year of Vietnam in Russia and vice versa.

On the East Sea (South China Sea) dispute, Quang and Putin agreed that any border or territorial dispute should be resolved by peaceful means without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with international law, first of all the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).

They agreed the Declaration of Conduct in the East Sea (DOC) should be implemented fully and effectively, and hoped that a Code of Conduct (COC) will soon be completed.

During their talks, President Putin affirmed that Vietnam will always be a priority partner for Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. He said he believes that Quang’s visit will provide fresh impetus to the development of the bilateral ties in the coming time.

President Quang reiterated that Vietnam has consistently prioritised strengthening of the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in order to promote further bilateral cooperation in all fields.

Vietnam appreciates Russia’s role and hopes Russia will continue making active contributions to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the Asian-Pacific region, he said

The same day, the two leaders witnessed the signing ceremonies for several cooperation projects including the building a nuclear technology and science centre in Vietnam between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Russian Rosatom Group, a cooperation agreement on anti-money laundering between the State Bank of Vietnam and the Financial Market Relations Regulation Centre, and another between the Vietnam News Agency and the Sputnik.

A memorandum on technical cooperation between the two State treasuries was also signed in the presence of the presidents, along with a 2017-2022 cooperation programme in aerospace technology between the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, and an agreement between the Vietnam Railways Corporation and the Russian Railways Open Joint Stock Company.

Vietnam treasures partnership with Russia: President

President Tran Dai Quang (R) shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev 

President Tran Dai Quang has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of treasuring the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia and prioritising the development of the ties to make it more sustainable and effective.

At a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow on June 29 as part of his ongoing four-day official visit to Russia, the President said that Vietnam sees Russia as one ofits top important and reliable partners, stated the State leader, highlighting political ties between the two countries as well as the coordination between the Vietnam Communist Party and the United Russia Party led by PM Medvedev.

He showed his delight to visit Russia for the first time since he took office in 2016, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of Russia’s October Revolution.

President Tran Dai Quang and PM Medvedev shared high determination of lifting the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to a new height. They also agreed on measures to promote and deepen bilateral ties.

The Vietnamese President proposed that the two governments foster their cooperation in effectively implementing the Vietnam-Eurasia Economic Union free trade agreement, while realising solutions to promote trade to create favourable conditions for import-export activities between the two countries.

Both sides should support cooperation projects in each territory, especially those in oil and gas, energy, automobile assemble and production, and cow milk breeding and milk processing, he suggested.

He also thanked the Russian side for backing theVietnamese community in Russia, while pledging that Vietnam is willing to assist the organisation of the Russian Culture Days in Vietnam in 2017.

For his part, the Russian PM expressed his sound sentiments towards Vietnam, and recalled his memory of the country through his visits.

PM Medvedev noted that bilateral ties have grown in all fields, especially the economy and trade, showing his hope that the Vietnamese and Russian governments will continue focusing on bolstering trade, investment. He suggested that the two sides stay active in seeking more cooperation projects.

Both sides share pleasure at the close coordination between Vietnam and Russia at multilateral forums, including the APEC. PM Medvedev vowed that Russia is willing to work with Vietnam to successfully organise the APEC Year 2017.

Earlier the same day, President Tran Dai Quang and the Vietnamese delegation laid flowersat the Ho Chi Minh Statue in Moscow and planted a tree at the Ho Chi Minh Square.

They laid a wreath at the monument in the Red Square commemorating unknown martyrs who died between 1941 and 1945.

They also paid floral tribute to the revolutionary leader Vladimir I. Lenin at his mausoleum and visited his commemoration area by the Kremlin wall.

President Tran Dai Quang meets Russian Communist Party leader

President Tran Dai Quang (R) ​meets with leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) Gennady Zyuganov 

President Tran Dai Quang had a meeting with leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) Gennady Zyuganov in Moscow on June 29 as part of his ongoing official visit to Russia. 

Highly valuing cooperation between the KPRF and the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), President Quang expressed his belief that with its prestige and experience, the KPRF will continue to promote its role as an important political force of Russia to contribute to national construction and development. 

The warm and trustworthy relationship between Vietnam and the former Soviet Union has been tested by time and history, he said. 

The leader noted that the Vietnamese Party, State and people always keep in mind and treasure sentiments and valuable support of Russian communists and people to Vietnam during its struggle for national liberation as well as the present cause of national defence and construction.

Vietnam wishes to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in a more effective and pragmatic fashion, he emphasised. 

President Quang urged the two parties to further enhance political ties and maintain delegation exchanges in order to increase mutual understanding and trust, while organising exchange programmes between young Party members to educate them about the traditional cooperation between the two parties. 

Later the same day, President Tran Dai Quang met with Sidelnikov Nikolai Ivanovich, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and experts of the national scientific research institute for medicines and essential oils. 

He praised the experts’ support to Vietnamese officials and doctors in protecting the body of President Ho Chi Minh over the past years. 

He called on the Russian experts to continue assisting the management board of President Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum through scientific research, technological transfer and training of health workers and technicians in order to better protect President Ho Chi Minh’s corpse.

VNA