First Deputy General Director of the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Mikhail Kalmykov praised the great achievements of the Vietnamese people in their national modernisation process under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The ITAR-TASS Deputy General Director was speaking at an annual meeting between the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia and Russian enterprises and the media, in Moscow on Mar. 20.

Mikhail Kalmykov said he was proud of energy cooperation projects between the two countries like the Pha Lai thermal power plant and the Hoa Binh hydropower plant, as well as the Binh Thuan nuclear power plant in the future.

Meeting participants included representatives from the Russian foreign ministry, the Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific research centre, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the oil and gas group Zarubezhneft, and Nasa Planheta (Our Planet) television channel.
They agreed that the two sides should tap their potential to boost cooperation and strategic partnership ties between the two countries.

Many of the participants have visited Vietnam and had good impressions about the country. They promised to encourage Russian people and businessmen to visit Vietnam .

Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Pham Xuan Son said the Vietnam-Russia traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperation are constantly being enhanced and the two countries are preparing for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to bring their economic relations on a par with expanding political ties.-VNA