President’s Russia visit hoped to deepen bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership

Then Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (right) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s official visit to Russia from November 29 to December 2, which will be made at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, is expected to deepen the Việt Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

The bilateral political relationship has been continuously consolidated, reflected through the regular exchange of high-level delegations.

Despite serious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral meetings have been maintained, notably phone talks between Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President Putin in April 2021, between President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and President Putin in September 2021, and between National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ and Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matvienko in June 2021, and an official visit to Russia by Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn in September 2021.

The two sides have also maintained many coordination and dialogue mechanisms such as the annual Diplomatic-Defence-Security Strategic Dialogue at the permanent deputy foreign ministerial level, and the Defence Strategic Dialogue at the deputy defence ministerial level, and regular political consultations at the deputy foreign ministerial level.

The two sides have closely coordinated and supported each other at international forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Russia supports Việt Nam’s stance on settling disputes in the East Sea via peaceful means, without using force or threatening to use force, on the basis of international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and working towards the early completion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has also been developed dynamically in recent years. Two-way trade reached US$4.85 billion in 2020, up 9 per cent year-on-year. It hit US$3.6 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 5 per cent against the same period of 2020.

As of April 2021, Russian ranked 25th among countries and territories investing in Viet Nam with 144 projects worth $944 million. Meanwhile, Việt Nam had invested in over 20 projects worth nearly $3 billion in Russia.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi said that President Phúc's visit is of great significance, helping to deepen the Việt Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership in all fields. The visit also shows that Việt Nam has actively implemented its foreign policy after the 13th National Party Congress in the spirit of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation, for the sake of the nation, and contributing to peace and stability in the world.

Russian Ambassador to Việt Nam Gennady Bezdetko affirmed that President Phúc's visit is one of the important highlights in the bilateral agenda for 2021, which is expected to bring a new impetus to promote the Russia-Việt Nam comprehensive strategic partnership in many fields.

Earlier, in an interview with the Sputnik news agency, President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said the visit demonstrates the importance the Vietnamese Party, State and people attach to the bilateral ties as well as President Putin, a close friend of Vietnamese people.

According to President Phúc, he and President Putin will review the Việt Nam-Russia relations and seek major strategic orientations to elevate the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height across spheres.

Meanwhile, Sputnik described Phúc’s visit as an impulse that helps to create new breakthroughs for the comprehensive strategic partnership, thus bringing benefits to Vietnamese and Russian people. — VNS