The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) maintains a policy of enhancing its ties with the United Russia (ER) party to help strengthen and further develop traditional friendship and all-sided, trustful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Vietnam and Russia, a CPV senior official said at the ER’s 11 th congress.

Addressing the congress on Nov. 21, Truong Tan Sang, who is Permanent Secretary of the CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat, reaffirmed that in its foreign policy, Vietnam always places importance and gives high priority to the development of relationship with Russia .

He told the ER members that Vietnam is satisfactory with new developments in the two countries’ ties in every field in the spirit of strategic partnership adopted by senior leaders of both countries.

Sang said that the Vietnamese communists and people have keenly followed the operation, role and position of the ER, and felt happy for immense achievements Russia has gained under the leadership of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The Vietnamese communists and people have lauded Russia’s positive stance as well as its important role in maintaining peace and stability and in promoting cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and the world for the establishment of a new world order of justice and equality, the Vietnamese official noted.

He expressed belief that by implementing a resolution to be adopted at this congress, the ER would continue to reaffirm its position and leading role in Russia ’s socio-political life, contributing to realising strategic tasks of modernising Russia and turning the country into a prosperous and powerful one which plays an important role in international relations.

Earlier on the day, Sang handed over the CPV Central Committee’s greetings to the Chairman of the ER Supreme Council, Boris Gryzlov.

On the occasion, Sang signed with the ER Chairman an agreement on cooperation between the CPV and the ER, following which the two parties will regularly hold consultancy and exchange of information regarding outstanding events in the two countries, and in bilateral and international relations.

The two parties will share experiences in the Party building work, organisational affairs, inspection and supervision, personnel training, publication, and other areas of interests.

Furthermore, the two parties will frequently exchange visits at all levels, and organise expert-level meetings, bilateral and multilateral seminars, conferences and round-table talks to discuss emergency issues in the Vietnam-Russia relationship and international ties of mutual concern.

In the agreement, the two parties pledge to further support the relationship between youth’s organisations, women’s unions, educational and humanitarian organizations and other social organizations.

Later on the day, Sang and his entourage attended a symposium debating political parties’ social responsibility in global crisis.

On Nov. 19, the Vietnamese communists laid a wreath at a monument dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh at the Ho Chi Minh Square in Moscow, and met with the Vietnamese embassy staff and representatives of Vietnamese communities in Russia .

They met with Vice Secretary of the Saint Petersburg ER Committee, Konstantin Serov and held talks with St. Petersburg Mayor Valentina Matvienko on ways to step up the wide-ranging strategic partnership between St. Petersburg and Vietnamese cities.

Sang and his entourage arrived in Russia on November 18 and will stay there until November 23./.