Moscow (VNA) – Vietnam and Russia can be proud of the achievements of their relations over the past two decades with comprehensive, deep, and extensive development of bilateral partnership, stated Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency in Moscow on the occasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Vietnam from June 19-20, Khoi said that the relationship between Vietnam and Russia inherits the special friendship between Vietnam and the former Soviet Union.

After a period of interruption in the early 90s of the last century, with the determination and efforts of the two countries' leaders and peoples, the Vietnam - Russia relationship has made strong progress. They established a strategic partnership in 2001 and lifted it to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012, the diplomat noted.

Vietnam and Russia shared a high level of political trust with diverse political cooperation mechanisms and forms, including delegation exchanges at all levels, he said.

The two sides have established and effectively implemented many mechanisms such as the Inter-Government Committee, the Strategic Dialogue, and the annual Political Consultation. They have always supported and closely coordinated with each other at international and regional organisations such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Ambassador Khoi said.

At the same time, bilateral economic-trade cooperation has developed positively with two-way trade rising 10-15% per year in some periods, which results from the signing of the Vietnam- Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Despite impacts from the instability in the world and the regional situation, two-way trade in 2023 still topped 3.6 billion USD. Russia has invested in nearly 200 projects in Vietnam with a total capital of nearly 1 billion USD, while Vietnam's investment in Russia increased sharply to 3 billion USD in 2023 from only about 100 million USD in the early 2000s. An important highlight in economic cooperation between the two countries is the strong development in the fields of energy, oil and gas, said the ambassador.

He underlined that bilateral cooperation in other fields such as science-technology, culture, education, tourism, and locality-to-locality collaboration has been expanding, with partnership in science-technology and education-training elevated to the strategic level.

Regarding the significance of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the realisation of the Joint Statement on 2030 Vision for Development of Vietnam – Russia relations, Khoi said that the event has an important meaning, especially in the context that the two sides are working hard to implement the document.

The visit is not only an important diplomatic event but also a demonstration of Russia's high evaluation of and commitment to the multifaceted cooperative relationship with Vietnam. This will contribute to reinforcing the friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, creating a firm foundation for the comprehensive growth of bilateral ties in the future, he stated.

According to Ambassador Khoi, the Russian leader’s visit will provide a chance for leaders of the two countries to discuss and seek specific measures to promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation, including the speeding up of major joint projects, especially those in the areas of energy, industry, and agriculture. It is also a chance to enhance cooperation in other basic fields, he added.

He said that in the framework of the visit, leaders of the two sides will discuss and shape bilateral strategic partnership to 2030. Long-term goals and specific action plans will be set out to ensure the sustainable and effective development of bilateral relations in the future. This is also an opportunity for the two countries to affirm their commitment to cooperation in international and regional issues, the diplomat stated, adding that their close coordination in multilateral forums and international organisations will contribute to peace, stability, and development of the region and the world over.

Cultural, educational, and tourism cooperation programmes are expected to be strongly promoted, contributing to strengthening mutual understanding and connection between the two peoples.

Ambassador Khoi expressed his belief that the visit will become an important milestone marking the strong and sustainable growth of the special ties between Vietnam and Russia, advancing bilateral relations towards a good future of loyal friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.

Mentioning measures to promote and strengthen bilateral cooperation economy and trade, the diplomat said that the two sides should make full use of the Vietnam-EAEU FTA, to which Russia is a member, thus meeting the import and export needs of each country and participating more deeply in regional supply chains.

Businesses of the two countries need to make better use of advantages and opportunities from the deal to increase investment and goods production in each other's markets. He advised Vietnamese businesses to research and boldly invest in Russia in the fields of agricultural and food processing, seafood, garments, and wooden furniture manufacturing.

The two sides should seek more suitable measures to remove difficulties and challenges to ensure smooth trading activities and interest of enterprises, he said, holding that Russia should design a policy of prioritising visa exemption for Vietnamese businesses, trade promotion delegations, and tourist groups for a minimum period of 30 days.

As for science-technology cooperation, the diplomat said that the two countries need to design policies and provide appropriate financial resources to invest in joint research cooperation programmes and projects, while increasing the exchanges of delegation and scientific staff, and fostering coordination among research and training facilities.

In the fields of education-training, the two countries should urgently complete the legal basis to enable the signing of a new agreement on educational cooperation to replace the one signed in 2005, as well as another on the establishment and operation of the Pushkin Centre, and the extension of the agreement on training Vietnamese citizens in Russia to 2030. Each year, the Russian Government grants 1,000 scholarships to Vietnamese citizens to study in Russia, he noted.

Ambassador Khoi expressed his hope that on the foundation of the sound relations between the two countries, President Putin’s visit to Vietnam will bring about new momentum for the stronger and more effective cooperation between the two countries, heading to a brighter future./.