Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam andRussia need to actively seek new, highly feasible cooperation methods, whichare beneficial to both sides, in a bid to create breakthroughs in bilateralrelations, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh.

During a recent interview granted to the press ahead of the 30th Diplomatic Conference slated for August 12-17 in Hanoi, the ambassador highlightedthe fruitful development in the Vietnam-Russia relationship over the last 68years.

Vietnam and Russia established diplomatic relations in 1950 and decided toelevate the relationship to strategic partnership in 2001 and then to comprehensivestrategic partnership 11 years later.

The bilateral cooperation between thetwo countries has been tested over time, becoming a valuable asset of the Vietnameseand Russia people, with many great achievements in all areas, Manh said.

Vietnam-Russia political ties with a high level of trust have been enhancedthrough the regular exchange of delegations and bilateral meetings at alllevels, and via the mechanism of consultation and strategic dialogue.

The two nations have always cooperated and supported each other in multilateralforums such as the United Nations, the Asia-PacificEconomic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Asia-EuropeMeeting (ASEM), the ASEAN - Russia cooperation mechanism.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang’s official visit to Russia in June 2017,and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attendance at the APEC Economic LeadersMeeting in Vietnam’s central Da Nang city in November 2017 created new impetusto effectively promote and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership, Manhstressed.

Vietnam-Russia economic, trade and investment ties have enjoyed dynamicdevelopment, he said, noting that after the free trade agreement betweenVietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union officially came into effect in October2016, the trade value between the two countries has grown by over 30 percent ayear.

In terms of investment, besides the cooperation in the field of oil and gas, asof June 2018, Russia has 117 direct investment projects in Vietnam with totalregistered capital of nearly 1 billion USD. Meanwhile, Vietnam is operating 22investment projects worth nearly 3 billion USD in Russia.

Security and defence cooperation between the two nations has also witnessed practicaland effective development, especially in personnel training and weapon-equipmenttransfer.

Vietnamese and Russian localities havealso strengthened their collaboration in the recent time, focusing on thespheres of economy, trade and investment, culture, and education. Tourism andculture cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges have been also fostered,Manh said.

Regarding measures to fully tap the potential to further expand bilateraleconomic ties, the diplomat stressed that relevant agencies and enterprises ofthe two countries, including the embassy, have to make every effort to fulfillcommitments made by their senior leaders, towards realising the 10-billion-USD targetin two-way trade by 2020.

It is necessary to implement synchronously and effectively cooperationagreements signed between the two countries, and enhance the role of theintergovernmental committee; as well as the consultation and supervision of thetwo legislative bodies over the implementation, the ambassador said.

Administrative reform should be also promoted, thus facilitating Vietnamese andRussian enterprises’ travel and work in their respective territories, thus fosteringeconomic ties between the two nations.

Manh, however, also mentioned obstacles hinderingthe Vietnam-Russia economic and trade cooperation, saying that there are no effectivemechanisms to promote the potential and strength of each country.

Vietnamese businesses are facingdifficulties in selling their goods in the Russian market because of certainbarriers related to quarantine, Manh noted, adding that both countries’ firms donot have enough information about each other so they do not have adequate trust intrading. Trade promotion activities should be increased to solve these issues,he said.

The ambassador also highlighted the significance of the Vietnam Year in Russiaand the Russia Year in Vietnam in 2019, saying that it will be a meaningfulevent to strengthen cooperative ties between the two countries.-VNA.