General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong has underscored that Vietnam supports Russia’s positive policy towards countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Vietnam.

During a November 12 meeting with the visiting Russian President in Hanoi, the Party chief applauded the efforts of Russia in strengthening peace, security, cooperation and development in the region, including the East Sea.

He thanked the Russian side for assisting and creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country to settle their lives and act as a bridge for the friendship between the two peoples.

Hailing President Putin’s visit, General Secretary Trong described it as an important event and a strong push for the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, making it more dynamic.

He spoke highly of the positive and flexible external policies of Russia as well as the role the country and President Putin play in the maintenance of peace and stability in the world.

For his part, President Putin affirmed that his country always attaches much importance to developing the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, and considers Vietnam as a top prioritised partner in the Asia-Pacific region.

He voiced his wish that Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, will reap more achievements in socio-economic development, improve people’s living standards and enhance the nation’s position in the region and the world.

The two sides highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation in Party, State, Parliament and people-to-people exchange channels.

They recognised the positive outcomes of bilateral cooperation, while agreeing that it is necessary to make full use of the existing cooperation mechanisms to effectively realise reached agreements, as potential for the two countries to further their cooperation is high.

President Putin also took the occasion to convey his invitation to General Secretary Trong to visit Russia soon. The Party chief accepted with pleasure.

The same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also met the Russian President, during which he pledged that the Vietnamese Government will do its utmost to work with the Russian Government in implementing the agreements reached in a practical and specific manner.

He proposed that the two Governments add these agreements to the annual list of priorities, allowing the Inter-Governmental Committee of the two countries to review the implementation of the agreements every year.

Underlining the abundant cooperation potential in trade, investment and tourism between Vietnam and Russia , PM Dung suggested that the Russian side speeds up negotiations for a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus to be reached by late 2014 and officially signed by 2015.

He said he hopes Russia will work closely with the Vietnamese side to ensure the progress of the first nuclear power plant of Vietnam in Ninh Thuan with the latest technology and absolute safety.

The Vietnamese Government leader also hailed the positive development in bilateral ties with strengthened political trust, while speaking highly of the outcomes of the talks between President Truong Tan Sang and President Putin.

President Putin affirmed that Vietnam is a key partner of Russia in Asia-Pacific and highly valued Vietnam’s efforts in forging bilateral cooperation, especially in economics, trade and investment.

The Russian President held that a target of 7 billion USD in two-way trade by 2015 is feasible as bright investment cooperation prospects are being seen between the two countries.

The two sides should exert their best efforts to create favourable conditions for enterprises of both sides to enhance connectivity and invest in each other’s market, he said.

President Putin underscored that technology and equipment for the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project are state-of-the-art. Russia will also provide the most preferential credit for the project, he added.

The Russian side will also hasten negotiations for the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union, which not only allows the two sides to develop trade but also helps them to beef up investment, he said.

He said Russia is ready to expand cooperation with Vietnam in healthcare, education, training and culture.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to further step up cooperation in national defence, military technology, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, energy, mining and education.

PM Dung and President Putin also reached a high consensus on continuing their strong coordination and mutual support at international forums.-VNA