President Tran Dai Quang's visit to Belarus and Russia aims to boost Vietnam's cooperation with friends (Photo: VNA) In recent years relations between Vietnam andRussia have been developed via regular high-level delegation exchanges, thusboosting the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two countries share similar viewpoints onmany regional and global issues and support each other at international forums.
Bilateral economic and trade relations arethriving, with an inter-governmental committee for economic, trade, scientificand technological cooperation having been established in 1992.
Vietnam and Russia also have a business councilto promote trade and investment.
Two-way trade reached 2.7 billion USD in 2016and 1.37 billion USD in the first five months of 2017. Vietnam mainly exportsmobile phones, garment-textile, farm produce, and seafood whilst importing oiland gas, iron and steel, fertiliser, machines and equipment.
Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)signed a bilateral free trade agreement on May 29, 2015, which took effect onOctober 5, 2016.
Russia now ranks 23rd out of 116 countries andterritories investing in Vietnam with 118 projects worth 1.1 billion USD,focusing on energy, mining, processing-manufacturing industry and banking.
In recent years, Vietnam’s investment in Russiahas rapidly increased from some 100 million USD in 2008 to 2.4 billion USD atpresent with 18 projects, concentrating on oil and gas, trade and agriculture.
Energy is considered an effective cooperativefield that brings large revenues to Vietnam and Russia. Apart from the Vietsovpetrojoint venture, the two countries have set up Rusvietpetro, Vietgazprom andGazpromviet joint ventures to expand oil and gas cooperation in Vietnam, Russiaand third countries.
Both nations have also agreed to cooperate inbuilding and modernising energy works in Vietnam.
Additionally, the two sides have held culturalexchanges to increase mutual understanding and friendship between the twopeoples, including annual Vietnam cultural days in Russia.
Russia continues to be one of the 10 top tourismmarkets in Vietnam with 430,000 Russian tourists visiting the Southeast Asiancountry in 2016 and 150,000 in the first quarter of 2017.
Based on effective cooperation in education andtraining, Russia has helped Vietnam in human resources, with more than 5,000Vietnamese students studying in Russia.
Collaboration in security-defence has beenenhanced, as has the science-technology partnership. The two countries haveimplemented nearly 60 research and technological transfer projects.
Both nations have also strengthened cooperationbetween localities via delegation exchanges and signing coordinationagreements.
The Vietnamese community in Russia has madesignificant contributions to the host country.
Since 1991, Vietnam and Russia have signed morethan 100 cooperation documents in all fields from economics, trade, investment,oil and gas, nuclear power and education-training to culture,science-technology and military.
Meanwhile,Vietnam and Belarus have sound traditional relations, with Belarus attachingmuch importance to enhancing ties in various fields.
People-to-people exchanges have been promoted between the two nations. Theyhave cooperation mechanisms such as the inter-governmental Committee onEconomic Trade and Scientific-Technical Cooperation and the inter-governmentalCommittee for Military Technical Cooperation.
Both sides support each other in regional and international forums like theUnited Nations and the Non-Aligned movement. The Eastern European countryendorsed Vietnam to stand for the United Nations Economic and Social Council in2016-2018 and the International Law Commission in 2017-2021.
Two-way trade in 2016 stood at 94.5 million USD and at 37.7 million USD in thefirst quarter of 2017. Vietnam exports seafood, wood-based products, garments,footwear, rice, natural rubber, cashew, tea, pharmaceutical products andcomputers to Belarus, while importing fertiliser, machines, equipment,automobile spare parts, trucks and chemicals.
The two sides have enjoyed close cooperation in the framework of theEAEU-Vietnam free trade agreement.
Belarus has helped Vietnam train various officials and experts. Currently,there are some 70 Vietnamese students studying in the country.
Securityand defence cooperation has been maintained via the inter-governmentalCommittee for Military Technical Cooperation. Meanwhile, science and technologycollaboration has grown with numerous projects.
Cultural exchanges have been held in both countries from 2014-2017. The numberof Belarusian tourists to Vietnam has increased significantly thanks to thecountry’s visa exemption policy for Belarusian citizens from 2015. Belarus allowedvisa-free entry for Vietnamese people from February 12, 2017.
The two countries also have prospects in labour cooperation. Contracts havebeen signed between Vietnamese and Belarusian businesses to bring Vietnameseworkers to build an entertainment zone in Minsk city.
In addition, collaboration between localities has been sped up with numerouscooperation agreements inked between Hanoi and Minsk, Da Nang city and Grodnocity, Ho Chi Minh City and Minsk city and Quang Ninh province and Minsk cityand Grodno city.
Some 500-600 Vietnamese people live and work in Belarus. They have enjoyedfavourable conditions to reside and do business in the nation.
The visit to Belarus and Russia by President Tran Dai Quang is a significantevent, affirming that Vietnam treasures relations with Russia and Belarus. Itwill also create momentum to further cooperation relations in various fields.
The two sides will discuss and evaluate past bilateral cooperation activitiesand seek ways to further collaboration. International issues of mutualinterests will be also on the table, assuring that both sides continue tosupport each other at regional and international forums.-VNA
VNA
