Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh received Eleonora Mitrofanova – head of the Russian Federation’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Co-operation (Rossotrudnichestvo) – in Hanoi on Tuesday. 

Mitrofanova is paying a visit to Viet Nam on the occasion of the 15th founding anniversary of the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Hanoi.

At the meeting, Vinh expressed his delight over the positive development of the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Viet Nam and Russia, notably the official visit to Russia by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in September.

The nations would organise the Viet Nam Year in Russia and the Russia Year in Viet Nam for 2019-2020 to mark both the 25th anniversary of the signing of a treaty on basic principles for the Viet Nam-Russia friendship and the 70 years of diplomatic ties, he noted.

Vinh spoke highly of contributions of the Rossotrudnichestvo to promoting Russian culture, language, education, and science in Viet Nam, along with enhancing people-to-people exchange and the humanitarian co-operation of both countries, bolstering mutual understanding and bilateral relations.

He voiced his hope that the Russian agency would actively participate in the organisation of the Viet Nam Year in Russia and the Russia Year in Viet Nam, as well as provide support for collaboration in education-training, culture, and science between Việt Nam and Russia, and the nations’ localities in particular.

On the occasion, he presented a certificate of merit signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh to the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Hanoi.

For her part, Mitrofanova pledged to bolster the activities of the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in the future which, she said, in turn would deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership of the two nations. 

Vietnam, Russia tighten cooperation in peacekeeping activities

Sen. Lt. Gen. Pham Ngoc Minh (right) presents an insignia to Lt. Gen. Yuri Stavitsky (Source: qdnd.vn)

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Sen. Lt. Gen. Pham Ngoc Minh received visiting Commander of the Engineering Troops of the Russian Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Yuri Stavitsky in Hanoi on October 9.

Minh said that the two countries’ Defence Ministries signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the United Nations’ peacekeeping activities in 2017.

However, cooperation in this field has failed to match bilateral potential, he stated.

Therefore, he suggested both sides step up defence delegation exchanges, information and experience sharing and personnel training to raise the capacity of forces participating in peacekeeping missions.

It is also necessary to boost collaboration in the military engineering field, he added.

Agreeing with Minh’s proposals, Stavitsky affirmed that Russia is willing to support and share experience with Vietnam in the participation in peacekeeping missions, including providing the country with consultations on deploying a sapper company to a suitable peacekeeping mission in the time ahead.

VNS/VNA