Saint Petersburg (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long attended the plenary session of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 28) in Russia on June 20 and had a range of bilateral activities on the sidelines of the event.
The forum drew the attendance of nearly 20,000 delegates from 140 countries and territories, marking a 20% increase compared to 2024.
On the sidelines of the forum, Long held meetings with leaders of several major Russian corporations currently investing or seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam, including Gazprom, AFK Sistema, and Zarubezhneft. He also held brief discussions with Russian Deputy PM Alexander Novak, Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, President of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff, and Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation Lazar Comanescu. Long spoke highly of the dynamic, positive, and comprehensive development of Vietnam – Russia relations in recent years. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State place great importance on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in a substantive and effective manner, in line with the development needs of both nations.
The Deputy PM called for enhanced efficiency in joint oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities in both countries. Vietnam is ready to create favourable conditions for Russian enterprises to invest in traditional sectors such as energy, oil and gas, and industry, while expanding into new areas of cooperation, including IT, digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), clean and renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and biomedicine, he said.
He stated that Vietnam will work closely with Russia to effectively implement agreements reached by the two countries’ top leaders, including the joint statement on strategic directions for future cooperation adopted by Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam and Russian President Vladimir Putin in May 2025. Long urged Russian enterprises to actively engage with Vietnamese partners to realise signed agreements and bring cooperation projects to fruition, in line with the laws and mutual interests of both sides. He also encouraged Russian firms to transfer technology, provide initial technical support, and help train Vietnamese personnel to master technologies and production processes.
Leaders of the Russian enterprises expressed their gratitude for the support and attention from the Vietnamese Government, ministries, and sectors, particularly in facilitating Russian investment and cooperation with Vietnamese partners based on mutual understanding, respect, and shared benefit. They welcomed the outcomes of the visit to Russia by General Secretary To Lam in May, viewing it as a milestone that opened new and promising opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
They pledged to apply advanced technologies to joint projects with Vietnam and to step up technology transfer and training programmes for Vietnamese personnel.
During his stay in Saint Petersburg, Long and the Vietnamese delegation, together with representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, the Vietnamese community in the city, and local authorities, laid flowers at the monument to President Ho Chi Minh./.
