General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin in their meeting in 2018 in Moscow, Russia. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the 'Treaty on Principles of Friendly Relations between the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the Russian Federation' (June 16, 1994 - 2024), General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng and Vietnamese President Tô Lâm on Sunday exchanged congratulatory letters with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The same day, Việt Nam's Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính also exchanged congratulatory letters with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin.

In the letter, the leaders affirmed that the treaty is a historical document, bearing great significance and serves as a symbol that marks a new phase in the development of multifaceted cooperation between Việt Nam and the Russian Federation, creating a premise for raising the two countries' relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Over the past 30 years, generations of leaders and people of the two countries have made continuous efforts to cultivate a strong friendship, consolidate and promote comprehensive bilateral cooperation in all fields, for the benefit of the peoples of of the two countries, contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The two countries' leaders expressed their belief that the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty will open a new stage of development, with increasing levels of trust, substance and effectiveness between Việt Nam and the Russian Federation.

On this occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn also exchanged congratulatory letters with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The 1994 treaty is a legal document, succeeding the treaty on Việt Nam-Russia friendly relations, which the two countries signed on November 3, 1978.

It presented a more comprehensive, clearer and in more detail, areas of bilateral cooperation in the international arena, helping to improve and promote a more pragmatic stage in Việt Nam-Russia relations.

Less than seven years after signing the 1994 Treaty, Việt Nam and Russia adopted a joint statement establishing a strategic partnership and in 2012, the two officially established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In 2023, Việt Nam-Russia trade turnover hit US$3.6 billion, up 2.3 per cent compared to 2022. In the first quarter of this year, trade between the two countries reached $1.1 billion, a 52 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2023. — VNS