Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh arrived in Moscow on July 8 to begin his official friendship visit to Russia.

He was welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksey Borodavkin, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrey Kovtun and other senior Russian officials.

Vietnamese ambassador to Russia Bui Dinh Dinh and ambassadors of ASEAN member countries in Russia were also present at the welcoming ceremony.

As scheduled, General Secretary Manh will hold talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on July 9.

The same day, he will meet with the Speakers of the State Duma (the lower house of the parliament) and the Federation Council (the upper house of the parliament)./.