Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of St. Petersburg City Evgeny Grigoriev delivers a speech at the event. – VNA/VNS Photo

MOSCOW – The Foreign Affairs Committee of St. Petersburg City hosted a conference in both online and offline forms to mark the 73rd anniversary of Việt Nam-Russia diplomatic relations in Moscow on Monday.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi highlighted the time-tested relationship between the Việt Nam and Russia in all spheres, saying it is a precious asset of the two countries.

The ambassador said 2023 is a year of great significance to the bilateral ties as the two countries will celebrate the 100th anniversary of President Hồ Chí Minh's arrival in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg). It’s also an opportunity for both nations to review their achievements.

Several works will also be inaugurated in the year to celebrate the special ties, including a statue of President Hồ Chí Minh in St. Petersburg, he added.

Russian Ambassador to Việt Nam Gennady Bezdetko confirmed that Việt Nam had always been one of Russia's closest and most reliable partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The Southeast Asian country was still Russia's largest trading partner in ASEAN despite changes in the region and the world.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of St. Petersburg City Evgeny Grigoriev said that the conference was the continuation of the sixth project of the committee, under the name "Celebrating the 100th anniversary of President Hồ Chí Minh's arrival in Russia.

He also noted there would be many events organised by the city government under this project during the year. – VNS