The commitment was reaffirmed at the meeting between Deputy PM, Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Thiện Nhân and Russian Deputy PM Aleksandr Dmitriyevich Zhukov in Moscow yesterday.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Zhukov hailed Việt Nam’s goodwill in being supportive throughout most cooperative projects with Russia. The two-way trade turnover stood at US $1.83 billion last year, up 11% against the previous year’s figure, despite the global economic downturn.

Moreover, the leader emphasized on the positive impact brought by the regular exchange of high-ranking delegations between two governments, contributing to the consolidated traditional long-lasting friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

Also on his official visit to Russia this time, Deputy PM Nhân had another meeting with Russian Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko on March 15. Both leaders penned an agreement on the  recognition of all kinds of certificates, diplomas, degrees and academic titles granted by their respective educational agencies.

The Russian Government has promised to grant 300 scholarships to Việt Nam annually and 100 in addition for the 2010-2011school period, 20 scholarships of which are preserved for nuclear power field.

Not to mention, the bilateral tourism relationship has lifted up. The average number of Russian visitors to Việt Nam increases over 30% annually, equals to 40,000 visitors per year. This figure expects to be higher in coming years, especially since Việt Nam decided last year to apply visa exemption for Russian visitors who stay in Việt Nam in less than 15 days.

By Hải Minh