Seminar looks into progress of Vietnam-Russia int’l treaties

 

Hanoi (VNA) – The National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations held a seminar in Hanoi on August 22 to review the implementation of international treaties signed by Vietnam and Russia during the 2001 – 2018 period.

Speaking at the event, head of the committee Nguyen Van Giau said both countries have launched joint cooperation mechanisms such as the inter-governmental committee and the inter-governmental committee on military technical cooperation.  

Since 2011, Vietnam and Russia have signed agreements and several international treaties covering many fields at State, ministerial, local and business levels.

He said the committee will collect suggestions at the event to make a report for submission to the eighth session of the 14th legislature.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong said the two countries are maintaining the Inter-Government Committee on economic-trade and scientific-technological cooperation mechanism that was established in 1992 on the basis of the economic-trade cooperation agreement signed in 1991.

On this foundation, bilateral ties have grown across four pillar areas of trade, investment, oil and gas, and energy. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia hit 4.57 billion USD last year, up 28.6 percent from 2017.

As of June 20 this year, Russia ranked 24th out of 132 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 130 projects, mostly in the fields of energy and oil and gas, worth over 954 million USD.

Vietnam invested in 22 projects valued at around 3 billion USD in Russia, notably TH True Milk’s milch cow farming and milk processing project worth 2.7 billion USD.

The country is also closely partnering with Russia’s major oil and gas groups such as Gazprom, Zarubezhneft and Rosneft.

Chu Tuan Duc, deputy head of the Foreign Ministry’s Law and International Treaties Department, said 52 international treaties were signed and implemented by the two countries from 2001 – 2018. He noted that most treaties are being carried out in an effective manner, benefiting both sides’ cause of national development.

According to Duc, a number of documents signed before the 2016 Law on International Treaties took effect did not qualify as international treaties under the 2016 law. The Foreign Ministry has proposed that the NA’s Committee for External Relations omit them from the review.

Localities were asked to report the implementation of international conventions to the Foreign Ministry and other relevant agencies each year, including achievements and shortcomings.-VNA