HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev discussed measures to promote the partnership between the two countries during their talks in Hà Nội on November 19 as part of the latter’s official visit to Việt Nam.

PM Phúc reiterated that Việt Nam treasures and prioritises its traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia. PM Medvedev said Russia considers Việt Nam one of its most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

The two leaders shared their delight at the strong trust between Việt Nam and Russia, with regular meetings at all levels, including high-level exchanges.

They agreed to co-ordinate closely in organising Việt Nam Year in Russia and Russia Year in Việt Nam in 2019 and 2020, respectively, to mark 25 years since the signing of the Agreement on Basic Principles for Việt Nam-Russia Friendship and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.

The two PMs hailed the outcomes of the 21st meeting of the Việt Nam-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee on economic-trade and science-technology co-operation in Moscow in late October 2018.

They said the economic, trade and investment partnership between the two countries has grown dramatically over recent years, along with the effective implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union.

To fully execute the agreement, both sides promised to co-ordinate and address barriers to the import and export of goods, especially agro-fishery-forestry products, with the aim of raising two-way trade to US$10 billion by 2020.

The PMs conveyed satisfaction with the results of oil and gas co-operation, considering it one of the important pillars of the relationship. They vowed to continue facilitating exploration and exploitation on Việt Nam’s continental shelf and Russia’s territory, and encouraged the expansion of co-operation in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas power supply.

Both agreed to step up large-scale projects in the fields of energy, industry, transport and agriculture, and to expand collaboration in information, digital technology and e-Government.

They affirmed their commitment to building a $350 million Nuclear Science and Technology Centre, while encouraging co-operation to develop urban transport infrastructure and railways in Việt Nam.

The two leaders reached a consensus on the importance of security and defence cooperation. They said they would renew collaboration in the fields of science-technology, culture, tourism, education-training and labour, as well as on partnerships between their localities.

PM Phúc took the occasion to thank Russian leaders for helping the Vietnamese community in the country, saying he hoped for their continued support.

The PMs also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern and stressed the need to maintain peace and stability. This involves ensuring aviation and navigation security, safety and freedom in the East Sea to solve disputes peacefully on the basis of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. It also involves fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and working towards the signing of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

Both sides agreed to maintain co-ordination at multilateral forums and foster co-operation within the framework of the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting and the ASEAN-Russia co-operation in the interest of peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

They expressed their belief that the visit will contribute to boosting the bilateral relations in all fields.

PM Medvedev took the occasion to invite PM Phúc to visit Russia. The Vietnamese leader accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNS