General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô lâm (left) had talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on September 8. — VNA/VNS Photo

MOSCOW — Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm met Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on Tuesday (local time), with the two sides agreeing to inject fresh momentum into economic, trade, transport, energy, and science-and-technology cooperation.

The meeting took place as Việt Nam's top leader is paying a State visit to Russia, amid efforts by the two countries to translate their longstanding comprehensive strategic partnership into more concrete projects and stronger economic ties.

PM Mishustin warmly welcomed General Secretary & President Lâm and the high-level Vietnamese delegation, expressing his belief that the visit would mark a new milestone in bilateral cooperation.

Top leader Lâm thanked the Russian leadership, Government and people for their warm and thoughtful reception and conveyed an invitation from Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng for Mishustin to visit Việt Nam at a convenient time.

The Vietnamese leader spoke highly of the role played by the two governments in implementing agreements and orientations reached by their senior leaders, calling for closer coordination and more effective use of existing cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Việt Nam-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Economic-Trade and Scientific-Technological Cooperation.

Focus on stronger economic and trade ties

The two sides welcomed progress in bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, education and training, people-to-people exchanges and tourism.

They noted that a number of difficulties and obstacles previously raised by the two countries' leaders had made progress towards resolution.

The two sides agreed to make fuller use of existing bilateral mechanisms while considering the establishment of new mechanisms and specialised working groups in areas where cooperation potential remains strong.

A view of the talks between General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô lâm and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on September 8. — VNA/VNS Photo

Both leaders called for a stronger breakthrough in economic and trade ties, noting the complementary strengths of the two economies and encouraging businesses from both countries to expand investment and commercial activities.

General Secretary and President Lâm called for stronger two-way investment in a more balanced direction. Following the success of Vietnamese dairy group TH, Việt Nam encourages its businesses to invest in agriculture in Russia, while encouraging Russian companies to invest in industry in Việt Nam, he said.

Mishustin stressed that better transport and logistics connectivity would be crucial to expanding bilateral trade. He suggested that the two sides study solutions to improve the efficiency of maritime, rail and multimodal transport, helping establish stable supply chains and facilitate the movement of goods.

General Secretary and President Lâm agreed on the need to establish new strategic connectivity through cooperation in transport, particularly railways, maritime transport and aviation.

He asked the Russian Government to direct relevant ministries and agencies to continue reviewing and addressing difficulties in economic, trade and investment cooperation, including issues related to tariffs, quotas, transport, logistics, and market access.

The Vietnamese leader also called for measures to increase the presence of Vietnamese products and businesses in the Russian market.

Noting that Việt Nam was the first country in the world to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), of which Russia is a member, General Secretary and President Lâm asked Russia to use its voice to encourage other EAEU members to further open their markets, remove trade barriers and eliminate the threshold-based trade defence mechanism applied to Vietnamese goods.

Energy cooperation to expand

The two sides praised the effectiveness of bilateral oil and gas projects, describing them as vivid examples of the practical results of Việt Nam–Russia cooperation.

Russia expressed its desire to continue developing energy cooperation with Việt Nam, not only in traditional areas but also in new fields compatible with the development needs and orientations of both countries.

The two leaders also identified science and technology as an area with significant potential to become a new driver of bilateral relations.

They agreed to explore expanded cooperation in emerging areas, including new energy and biomedical technology.

General Secretary and President Lâm encouraged Việt Nam and Russia to make greater use of Russia's strengths in basic science, engineering and technology in line with Việt Nam's requirements for rapid and sustainable development.

He also asked Russia to support Việt Nam in training high-quality human resources in sectors where Russia has particular expertise and Việt Nam has strong demand.

Deepening people-to-people ties

The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, helping younger generations gain a deeper understanding of the history and longstanding traditions underpinning Việt Nam-Russia relations.

Mishustin expressed his belief that General Secretary and President Lâm's State visit and his upcoming talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin would provide strong new impetus to bilateral ties and identify important strategic directions for Việt Nam–Russia relations in the new period.

He affirmed that the Russian Government would work closely with the Vietnamese Government to effectively implement agreements reached by the two countries' senior leaders, turning political orientations into concrete programmes, projects and practical cooperation outcomes. — VNS