Russian FM underlines Vietnam-Russia strategic partnership

The Vietnam-Russia relations have borne the characteristics of a comprehensive strategic partnership over the past 65 years, and their comprehensive strategic partnership now covers all spheres, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

He made the remark during his interview granted to Vietnamese media in Russia on the occasion of the 65^th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic relationship.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The minister said Russia particularly values high-ranking political dialogues between the two countries, citing the visits to Vietnam by President Vladimir Putin and Chairman of the State Duma Sergey Evgenievich Naryshkin, and the Russia visit by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, all made during the past one and a half year.

Agreements reached during these visits defined mid- and long-term prospects of bilateral ties’ expansion, he added.

The FM highlighted the flourishing trade-economic relations of the two countries, with two-way trade topping 3 billion USD for the first time in 2014 and expected to hit 10 billion USD by 2020.

He also noted that the two countries have reached agreement on building Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant, while their long-standing cooperation in the oil and gas sector holds a bright prospect as Russia’s Gazprom, Rosneft, and Zarubezhneft groups and the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) have been actively conducting exploration and implementing joint projects in both countries.

The minister said he believes that economic-trade relations will receive a further boost after the negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Union, which groups Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, are completed, adding that the agreement is expected to be signed within this year.

“It can be affirmed that the relations between our two countries will be fruitful and have bright prospects,” he said.

On international issues, the minister said Vietnam and Russia have closely cooperated to resolve issues that they are facing with a shared vision, adding that both countries shared the view that common scourges such as terrorism, organised crimes, illegal immigration, climate change, and many other matters can only be solved by joint efforts without the attempt of imposing the will of one country or a group of countries on others.

In this issue, Russia appreciates Vietnam’s balanced and responsible viewpoint on incidents in Ukraine and the necessity of reaching peace through negotiations. It also highly valued the Southeast Asian country’s viewpoint of not taking part in unilateral sanctions and restrictions that are not in line with international law, the minister told reporters.

He said the two countries’ relationship is a crucial factor in joint efforts to consolidate stability and security in Asia-Pacific.

“Russia values Vietnam’s role in developing the ties between Russia and the ASEAN,” he said.

Lavrov emphasised that the about-to-be-completed FTA between the Eurasian Union and Vietnam is an important step forwards in the elevation of Russia’s comprehensive economic cooperation with ASEAN.

In terms of security, Russia works with Vietnam and other countries within the East Asia Summit framework to draft joint codes of conduct in Asia-Pacific, principles that can be widely applied, he added.

Asked about the role of the Vietnamese community in Russia, the minister said nearly 100,000 Vietnamese nationals are working and living in Russia, including about 6,000 students and the number is still increasing.

“We appreciate the community’s spirit and responsibility and will create favourable conditions for the countries’ friendship to move forward,” he said.

The Vietnamese community in Russia always actively cooperates with the country’s authorised agencies, including the Federal Migration Service and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the official said, adding that they will provide all the best possible conditions for those legal residing in Russia.

Besides, Russian agencies are working with Vietnam to deal with illegal immigrants. Lavrov noted both countries have made progress in handling existing problems, and he expressed his belief that remaining matters will be resolved thoroughly.

The minister said Vietnam and Russia have a number of big anniversaries this year such as the 65^th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, the 70^th celebration of the victory over the German Fascism, and Vietnam’s 40^th anniversary of the Southern Liberation and the 70th National Day.

The countries have devised joint plans for those events, he noted, saying the two peoples should be proud of the anniversaries.

Concluding his interview, the official wished the Vietnamese people health, happiness and success on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.