Great Patriotic War victory will forever shine: President

Vietnamese people always remember and are grateful for the great sacrifices made by millions of former Soviet Union soldiers and people during the anti-fascism struggle 70 years ago, State President Truong Tan Sang has stated.

The Victory in the Great Patriotic War (May 9, 1945-2015) encouraged Vietnam and other oppressed countries worldwide to rise up for their independence and freedom, said the Vietnamese leader, who is in Russia for the celebration of the 70^th anniversary of the victory, while speaking to Russia’s major news agencies.

The victory inspired Vietnamese people, under the sound leadership of the late President Ho Chi Minh, to their own August Revolution victory in 1945, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2 the same year, he noted.

He asserted that decisive contributions by former Soviet Union soldiers and people cannot be denied in the victory over fascism.

President Truong Tan Sang meeting with Russian war veterans.

“History must be respected and relayed to next generations honestly,” he said.

“Over the past seven decades, historical lessons learnt from the anti-fascism struggle have still maintained their values,” he stressed.

These lessons showed the necessity to strengthen solidarity and cooperation in preserving peace and preventing threats of war and conflicts, and respect legitimate rights of nations in the world on the basis of international law and through bilateral and multilateral affiliation mechanisms, the President noted.

The State leader said that as suffering tremendous losses in the resistance wars for national liberation, Vietnamese people comprehend the value of peace and are ready to work with the peace-loving community in the world to maintain and promote the values brought by the Great Patriotic War Victory.

Vietnamese people always bear in their mind the priceless support of the Soviet Union during the struggle for independence, he said, adding that attention has been given to educating the youth of the nation’s tradition and the noble international spirit, as well as the close ties between Vietnam and Russia.

Currently, Russia is one of the leading trade partners of Vietnam, with two-way trade seeing seven-fold rise in the past decade to 2.76 billion USD, he noted, revealing that both sides are working hard to raise the figure to 10 billion USD by 2020.

He proposed that the two countries work together for the early signing of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union within 2015 as it would create a springboard for increased bilateral trade.

At the same time, both sides should facilitate market access for their products, while supporting the establishment of product-advertising centres, he suggest, adding that Vietnam and Russia should also back enterprises’ connection and partnership.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the State leader said Vietnam attaches much importance to the maintenance of peace, stability and maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea, settling disputes on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Declaration on the Conducts of Parties in the East Sea.

All parties should practice restraint and avoid actions escalating tension in the region, including using forces to unilaterally change the status quo there, he said, stressing the necessity to build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea soon.

He also expressed his hope that Russia will maintain and expand cooperation in joint oil and gas projects with Vietnam in its economic exclusive zone and continental shelf.