Russia’s President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to visit his country at an appropriate time when the two leaders met today [October 17] in Beijing for the 3rd Belt and Road Forum. 

Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong (L) and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Oct 17. Photo: Baoquocte

No specific timeline was given for the visit, but the year 2024 would mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Principles of Friendly Relations between Vietnam and Russia.

Putin expressed his delight at the growing bilateral relations and close people-to-people links. He affirmed that Vietnam is one of Russia's most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the meeting, President Vo Van Thuong conveyed the greetings of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue. He said Vietnam always remembers the Russian Federation's tremendous support in Vietnam's national construction, defense, and development.

In Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multi-lateralization and diversification, Thuong emphasized that the country regards Russia as one of the leading partners through the comprehensive strategic partnership in all facets for the benefit and the prosperity of the two peoples.

The two leaders highlighted the progressing traditional friendship based on political trust and broad cooperation.

They reviewed the results of bilateral cooperation over the past time, which included high-ranking exchanges, trade, defense and security, science and technology, education, energy, and people-to-people ties.

Highlights of the high-ranking exchanges include a conversation between General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vladimir Putin, the visit to Vietnam in May 2023 by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and leader of the ruling United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev, and the visit by Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin earlier this week.

Notably, at the meeting between Chairman of National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin in Hanoi on October 15, they agreed that oil, gas, and energy cooperation is a key pillar of their comprehensive strategic partnership. On this occasion, they highlighted the need to simplify import procedures to reach a two-way trade volume of US$10 billion by 2030. In 2022, the bilateral trade hit $3.55 billion, as shown by the General Customs Department's statistics.

Also at the meeting today, President Thuong thanked the Russian President and other Russian leaders for their assistance in building the Ho Chi Minh Memorial in Saint Petersburg on the 100th anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh's first arrival in Russia (1923-2023). It's considered a remarkable symbol demonstrating the two countries' close relations.

He expected Russia to continue providing Vietnamese students with scholarships, boost cultural connections, and pay attention to the Vietnamese community in Russia.

The leaders agreed that there remains room for stronger multifaceted relations with President Putin, hoping measures to be taken to promote political trust through high-ranking exchanges, further economic and trade ties, defense and security, science and technology, education, energy, and other fields as reached in agreements.

They stressed the need to make bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms effective, especially the Joint Governmental Committee on Economic and Trade Relations and Science and Technology and the VN-EAEU (the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU - including Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan).

Regional and global issues were also on the agenda of the meeting between the leaders.

During the talks, President Vo Van Thuong invited President Putin to visit Vietnam.

Russia is one of the few countries with which Vietnam has upgraded its relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership (in 2012), along with China (2008), Japan (2014), South Korea (2022), and the US (2023).