Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam hosted a reception on December 9 for visiting Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu, stressing that the visit holds significant importance as it will further strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ specialised agencies in security, defence, and other strategic areas.
The Party leader underlined that Vietnam always treasures the two countries' traditional friendship and close-knit relationship, built and nurtured by generations of leaders and citizens of both nations. He appreciated the support provided by the former Soviet Union and today's Russia for Vietnam’s past struggle for national liberation and its ongoing national construction and defence.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State remain steadfast in the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, in which deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia is a key priority.
He urged both countries and their relevant agencies to effectively implement the agreements and commitments reached by high-ranking leaders, as well as the signed cooperation documents, and to fully tap their potential and strengths to elevate bilateral relations to new heights for the benefit of each country and for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Applauding the outcomes of the meetings between the Russian Security Council delegation and Vietnamese agencies, the General Secretary welcomed the practical cooperation areas agreed upon, particularly transnational crime combat, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, non-traditional security, strategic information exchange, and personnel training.
He stressed that amid a rapidly changing and complex global environment, Vietnam and Russia should further intensify coordination, consultation, and experience sharing to support each other’s security and prosperity.
Vietnam, he added, stands ready to promote and act as a bridge for Russia to enhance its multi-faceted cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
For his part, Shoigu affirmed that Russia considers Vietnam a trusted and leading partner in the Asia-Pacific region, and highly values Vietnam’s foreign policy of peace, independence, and self-reliance, along with its growing international role.
He said bilateral cooperation is grounded in mutual trust, respect, adherence to international law and the shared interests of both nations, noting positive results in the collaboration in security, defence, personnel training, sharing of experience in responding to non-traditional security challenges, and crime prevention.
He stated that the Russian Security Council hopes to expand comprehensive cooperation with Vietnamese agencies and broaden strategic dialogue with specialised bodies. He affirmed the readiness to support, share experience, and expand cooperation mechanisms and initiatives aligned with the two sides’ priorities and conditions.
Both host and guest also explored ways to boost cooperation in other fields, agreeing on the need to reinforce economic and trade mechanisms and expand partnerships in energy, oil and gas, agriculture, machinery, and high technology. They encouraged stronger links between localities, enterprises, and business associations to generate fresh momentum for bilateral ties.
They also highlighted the importance of advancing cooperation in science, technology transfer and joint research, and placed emphasis on education and training to develop high-quality human resources as a lasting foundation for Vietnam – Russia relations. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges were recognised as crucial for strengthening mutual understanding and traditional friendship, with both agreeing to continue promoting cultural, artistic and tourism exchanges, along with scholar and student exchange programmes./.
VNA
