During the meeting, Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Nguyen Dinh Khang signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Speaking at the talks, Khang emphasized the importance of strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two agencies responsible for ethnic affairs in Vietnam and Russia.

He noted that Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with 54 ethnic groups, including 53 ethnic minority groups that account for more than 14% of the national population. In terms of religion, Vietnam currently recognizes 16 religions with around 28 million followers, representing approximately 28% of the population. The Party and State of Vietnam have consistently regarded ethnic affairs as a strategic, long-term priority closely linked to strengthening national unity, ensuring political and social stability, advancing socio-economic development, and preserving and promoting the cultural identities of different ethnic groups.

According to Khang, the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs is the government agency responsible for state management of ethnic affairs, religion and belief. In carrying out these responsibilities, the ministry places particular importance on international cooperation and exchanges of experience with agencies responsible for ethnic affairs in other countries, especially multi-ethnic nations with experience in developing and implementing ethnic policies.

Advancing practical and effective cooperation

Vietnam has maintained and developed cooperation with agencies responsible for ethnic affairs in a number of countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and China, while expanding exchanges with other partners through delegation visits, policy experience-sharing, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation in culture, education and science. These activities have contributed to greater mutual understanding among ethnic communities as well as between Vietnam’s specialized agencies and their foreign counterparts.

Khang praised the active coordination between the two sides in finalizing the Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam’s Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. He said the signing was significant as it establishes a framework for the two agencies to expand exchanges and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The minister affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia and sees considerable potential for cooperation between the two agencies in ethnic affairs. He expressed hope that Russia’s Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs and Vietnam’s Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs would translate the areas agreed in the MoU into concrete, practical and effective cooperation.

Strengthening the foundations of Vietnam-Russia relations

On the Russian side, Stanislav Bedkin, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, said the MoU would help strengthen relations between the two countries in the field of ethnic policy while facilitating joint activities in culture, science and education.

Bedkin emphasized that Russia and Vietnam share a longstanding tradition of friendship and have much in common in the importance they place on historical heritage and the cultural diversity of their peoples. Russia is currently home to representatives of more than 190 ethnic groups, with around 300 languages and dialects in use. The experience of managing a multi-ethnic and multicultural society, he said, provides considerable scope for the two countries to exchange expertise and explore models suited to their respective circumstances.

According to the schedule, later today, Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Nguyen Dinh Khang and I.V. Barinov, Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of the Russian Federation, will exchange the signed Memorandum of Understanding as part of state-level activities in Moscow.

Thai An