Vietnam–Russia Talks Focus on Bilateral Agreements and Economic Cooperation

On November 12, Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng met Russian Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko, who was on an official visit to Vietnam, at Government Headquarters. Hưng said Vietnam values its traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia. He said a key task now is to turn the two countries’ leaders’ shared priorities and agreements into effective cooperation programs and projects.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng meets Russian Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko.（VietVance）

Hưng proposed that the Russian Federation Council continue coordinating with Vietnam’s National Assembly to help the two governments strengthen the legal framework and resolve difficulties in implementing cooperation. He also called on both sides to make effective use of existing cooperation mechanisms, facilitate trade and investment, and help businesses enter markets and find partners. He urged continued energy and oil and gas cooperation, as well as progress on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, technology transfer and workforce training, with safety ensured.

On trade, Hưng expressed hope that Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union members would move quickly to amend the Vietnam–Eurasian Economic Union free trade agreement to reflect new trade conditions and help bilateral trade reach the target of USD 15 billion soon. He also called for stronger cooperation in science, technology, innovation, education, training, culture, tourism and local affairs, and closer links among universities, research institutes and businesses.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng speaks at the meeting.（VietVance）

Matvienko said the Russian Federation Council supports stronger cooperation with Vietnam and is ready to use its authority to help implement agreements between the two governments. She called for closer ties between Russia’s federal regions and Vietnamese provinces and cities to create opportunities for businesses, along with continued cooperation in Russian language teaching, cultural exchanges and tourism. Both sides agreed to strengthen coordination among governments, legislatures and local authorities, address specific obstacles and advance the implementation of bilateral agreements.

Source: VietVance