Impetus created for VN-Russia strategic partnership

PM Nguyen Tan Dung shakes hands with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, Ha Noi, November 7, 2012 – Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

PM Dung welcomed the official visit of PM Dmitry Medvedev and his entourage to Viet Nam especially after the two countries elevated their bilateral ties to comprehensive strategic partnership this July during the official visit of State President Truong Tan Sang to Russia.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen political ties through the exchanges of delegations at all levels and diversify cooperative channels.

They also talked about ways to raise the two-way trade volume to US$7 billion in 2015, hailing the negotiations of a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and the Customs Alliance (Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan) Customs Alliance in Q1, 2013.

PM Dung said that Viet Nam pays due attention to energy and gas cooperation with Russia and hopes to set up more joint ventures in the field between the two sides.

PM Dmitry Medvedev affirmed that the Russian Government and oil corporations would continue to cooperate with Vietnamese partners to explore and tap oil and gas in the Vietnamese continental shelf and create favorable ways for the joint ventures to expand cooperation activities in Russia.

The host leader proposed that Russia should consider the establishment of other joint ventures on garments and textiles, footwear, furniture, aquaculture and electronics in the Far East and other big cities in the country.

The two sides agreed to strengthen linkages in security, natural defense, science, technology, education, training, culture, sports, tourism, banking and local cooperation.

The guest leader hoped that Viet Nam continues to serve as a bridge for Russia to come closer to ASEAN and other South East Asian countries.

Both the host and the guest leaders believed that the visit would generate a new impulse for the Viet Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

After talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of an agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes and other cooperative documents on energy and trade areas./.

By Kim Anh