Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnamese President To Lam pose for photos at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Kristina Kormilitsyna/Sputnik.
Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Vietnam began in the early hours of Thursday morning when his plane landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, shortly after the Russian president met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.
Negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam concluded in Hanoi on Thursday as part of the Russian head of state’s two-day official visit to Vietnam.
Strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam remains one of Russia’s priorities, Putin stressed during the talks, where the two leaders made the following statements.
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“Last year, [bilateral] trade grew by 8 percent. The intergovernmental commission on both sides is working closely on this. The growth of trade is, of course, facilitated by the implementation of the 2015 free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam,” the Russian president added.
He recalled that in 2024 Moscow and Hanoi will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of a bilateral friendship treaty.
“All this time, we have maintained regular and meaningful political contacts, including through parliaments, ministries, agencies, parties, regional authorities and public organizations,” Putin said.
According to him, Moscow and Hanoi coordinate their actions in the international arena.
“Russia attaches great importance to the development of dialogue with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Vietnam is one of the leading members,” the Russian President said.
Separately, Putin said he would be glad to see the Vietnamese president at the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War II (Great Patriotic War) of 1941-1945 in Moscow.
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To Lam Praises Friendly Russian-Vietnamese Ties
For his part, To Lam emphasized that Vietnam “will always remember with gratitude the Russian people’s selfless support for its struggle for independence.
The country pursues “an independent and self-sufficient peaceful foreign policy, but at the same time attaches great importance to the development of traditional friendship and a comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.” Hanoi sees Russia as one of Vietnam’s foreign policy priorities, Lam added.
He also said that Russia, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, has achieved “important successes” both domestically and internationally.
“We are glad that political and social stability in Russia is strengthening, the economy is actively developing, the living standards of the population are improving; Russia’s position and authority are steadily growing on the international arena,” the Vietnamese leader concluded.
(Sputnik)
