Deputy Foreign Minister Tô Anh Dũng (right) presented Russian ambassador to Việt Nam with a token representing medical supplies the country would gift to Russia. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Foreign Minister Tô Anh Dũng on Monday attended a ceremony marking the handing over of 150,000 made-in-Việt Nam antimicrobial face masks from the Vietnamese Government and people to help their counterparts in Russia.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dũng said the COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges across the globe.

Việt Nam appreciates the timely countermeasures taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government to tackle the pandemic as well as the support provided to the Vietnamese community in the country, he said, adding international co-operation and enhanced solidarity are important factors in protecting the health and safety of people and mitigating the impact of the pandemic.

Việt Nam always stands ready to work with Russia to contain and push back the pandemic, in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic ties, he stressed.

For his part, Russian Ambassador to Việt Nam Konstantin Vnukov thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their valuable assistance. He spoke highly of the measures taken by the Vietnamese Government in COVID-19 prevention and control, which have received praise from the international community.

He expressed his hope that with solidarity and joint efforts, the two countries will soon contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Việt Nam presented 550,000 masks to five European countries suffering the worst from the pandemic – the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. — VNS