PM Chính Meets President Putin to Strengthen Việt Nam-Russia Strategic Partnership
Hà Nội, The Gulf Observer: Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính expressed his confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued support for Việt Nam and the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations during a meeting in Hà Nội.
Prime Minister Chính highlighted Việt Nam’s deep gratitude to the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation for their historical support, particularly during Việt Nam’s fight for national independence and reunification, as well as in current national defense, construction, and socio-economic development. He emphasized the need for both countries to enhance their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, addressing challenges to strengthen economic, trade, investment, and global integration ties.
President Putin reaffirmed Việt Nam’s status as a reliable and long-standing partner. He emphasized the importance of his visit as an opportunity to enhance cooperation across various sectors, including economy, trade, science and technology, energy, and humanitarian exchanges.
To further economic collaboration, both leaders stressed the importance of improving bilateral cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technical Cooperation. They also discussed implementing the Comprehensive Plan for Việt Nam-Russia Cooperation until 2030 and prioritized tasks for 2024-2025, and strengthening financial and credit cooperation.
Prime Minister Chính called for leveraging the Eurasian Economic Union-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement and urged Russia to remove trade barriers, particularly for Vietnamese consumer goods and agricultural products. He also advocated for increasing Việt Nam’s rice export quota and facilitating Russian agricultural exports to Việt Nam.
In terms of investment, both sides agreed to expedite large-scale Russian projects in Việt Nam, particularly in infrastructure, railways, urban metro systems, and renewable energy. They aim to create favorable conditions for businesses from both countries to expand effectively.
The leaders highlighted oil-energy cooperation as a cornerstone of their economic relationship. Prime Minister Chính proposed closer coordination and timely solutions to enhance the efficiency of joint oil exploration and exploitation projects. They also supported expanding cooperation in clean and renewable energy sectors, such as liquefied natural gas and offshore wind power.
Both countries committed to stronger collaboration in science and technology, information and communication technology, culture, sports, tourism, and labor. They also supported enhancing the teaching and promotion of Vietnamese and Russian languages through cultural centers. Prime Minister Chính proposed Russian support for training Vietnamese athletes in sports such as gymnastics and chess and initiating negotiations for a new labor and vocational training agreement.
Prime Minister Chính also called for continued support from Russian leaders and authorities for the Vietnamese community in Russia.
On global and regional issues, the two leaders pledged to work closely at multilateral forums, including the UN, ASEAN, and APEC. President Putin acknowledged Việt Nam’s balanced stance on the Ukraine issue, while Prime Minister Chính emphasized the importance of resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.
Regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, both leaders expressed support for resolving disputes through peaceful means, ensuring security and freedom of navigation and aviation, and enforcing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and achieving a practical Code of Conduct (COC) in the region.
