VNHNO - General Secretary of the Communist Part of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong will pay an official visit to Russia from September 5-8 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the eve of the visit, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong gave an interview to Russia’s TASS news agency. The following is the full text of the interview.
Q: Could you please tell us your expectations for your upcoming official visit to Russia and what issues you would like to discuss with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian leaders?
A: At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation and I are scheduled to visit the Russian Federation in the coming time. The visit takes place at a time when the relationship between the two countries is developing well; especially on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of a treaty on the basic principles for bilateral friendship in 2019, and the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Vietnam and Russia in 2020.
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong
My official visit to Russia aims to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, strengthen strategic ties and promote cooperation in all areas. I will hold comprehensive discussions with President Putin and Russian leaders on bilateral relations, on the major directions and measures to promote relations of the two countries in all areas, and on regional and international issues of mutual interest. I believe that the visit will create new impetus for the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia to further develop and further enhance the quality and efficiency of bilateral cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples, and for peace, stability and development of Asia-Pacific.
Q: Could you please give an assessment of the time-honoured friendship and the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia in the recent past?
A: The time-honoured friendly relationship between Vietnam and Russia has been tested over time and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of two countries. This is an invaluable common asset of the two nations, which should be preserved and promoted. Russia is a very important traditional partner of Vietnam. Over the past 70 years, the two peoples have stood shoulder to shoulder, and helped each other. I do not see any problem hindering the further development and deepening of bilateral relations between the two countries.
With the tradition of “Drinking Water, But Remembering the Source”, the Vietnamese people will never forget the great spiritual and material support from the people of the former Soviet Union, including the Russian people, for the people of Vietnam in the fight for national independence and the cause of construction and defence nowadays.
There are probably few countries in the world like Vietnam that has many generations of people, including leaders from central to local levels, who have been trained and studied in Russia. Currently, Russia is one of the few countries with the highest number of Vietnamese living and studying. Vietnam has become an attractive tourist destination for Russian tourists. These are important factors contributing to strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
Vietnam always attaches great importance to strengthening its comprehensive strategic partnership with the Russian Federation. Since the two countries lifted their relationship to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2012, political relations have become increasingly credible; exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially high-ranking delegations have taken place on all channels of the Party, government, parliament and localities. The two sides maintain many effective and appropriate mechanisms of exchange. Economic, trade, investment, security and defence cooperation are strengthened. Vietnam is the first country to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.
However, the bilateral economic-trade cooperation remains modest. After the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EAEU came into effect in October 2016, the trade revenue has grown by 30% in the past two years to about US$3.5 billion in 2017, which is considered very low and does not match with the good political relations, great potential and expectations of the two sides. We hope this sector will develop further and soon become a pillar of bilateral relations in the coming time. It can be said that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia is developing in a deeper, more substantive and sustainable manner.
Q: Vietnam and Russia have experienced long-term cooperation and success in the field of energy. Could you assess the new tasks for this field in the future?
A: I totally agree with such a comment. The Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant is a symbol of cooperation in the field of energy. The project was built by the former Soviet Union, and has brought about economic efficiency as well as ensured energy security for Vietnam in the development process. Besides, Vietnamese-Russian joint ventures in oil and gas fields such as Vietsovpetro, Rusvietpetro, Gazpromviet and Vietgazprom are the symbols of cooperation between the two countries in the new era, bringing about positive economic efficiency for both Vietnam and Russia.
The potential for cooperation between the two countries in this field is still great. Vietnam is in the period of industrialisation and modernisation, the demand for investment, construction and development of infrastructure, energy and electricity is huge. The Party and State always welcome and create favourable conditions for Russian enterprises to participate in the modernisation projects of the former Soviet-built power plants, as well as new energy projects. This comes from the experience of long-term cooperation with the Russian Federation and because Russia has high technology and is a very reliable partner for Vietnam.
Cooperation in the field of oil and gas has been very active, one of the areas of long-term strategic cooperation, both politically and economically. The oil and gas industry has become a key economic sector of Vietnam. I appreciate the effectiveness of cooperation of Russian companies such as Gazprom, Zarubezneft, Rosneft with Vietnam in recent years. Vietnam encourages, supports and is ready to create the best conditions for Russian enterprises to continue investing and operating in Vietnam.
We cannot ignore an important direction, which is the cooperation of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation today have been training many leading scientists and experts in this field for Vietnam. The two countries have agreed to build a Centre for Nuclear Energy Science and Technology in Vietnam. This is a very important project for both countries to promote the research and development of national nuclear science and technology, to train highly qualified staff, and accelerate the application of nuclear energy to the socio-economic and scientific-technological fields.
Q: Could you assess the current situation and prospects of defence-security and military-technical cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation?
A: Cooperation on defence and security between the two countries, including military-technical cooperation is a key and traditional field of cooperation. In recent years, this field of cooperation has been continuously expanded and strengthened, reflecting the high trust between the two countries in line with the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation. I highly appreciate the very effective and dynamic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of cooperation such as the training of officers, UN peacekeeping, navy, military medicine, and military technology, among others. In the coming time, defence and security cooperation between the two countries will continue to play an important role in the overall strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia.
Thank you very much!
