Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is on a visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh.

A welcoming ceremony was held in Hanoi on Mar. 23.

The same day, General Thanh and Minister Serdyukov held talks, along with their two high-level military delegations.

General Thanh described the visit to Vietnam by Serdyukov as an affirmation of the fine traditional friendship between the two militaries and peoples.

Serdyukov expressed his pleasure at Vietnam’s achievements in national construction and defence in recent years and expressed his belief that his visit would contribute to boosting bilateral cooperation in military and national defence between the two countries.

The two sides worked out measures to further expand bilateral cooperation for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Earlier, the Russian military delegation laid wreaths at President Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and the Vietnamese martyrs’ monument.

In the afternoon of the same day, Minister Serdyukov and his delegation paid a courtesy visit to Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet./.