St. Petersburg webinar marks 71st anniversary of Vietnam-Russia ties

Moscow (VNA) – The Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg on January 29 hosted a webinar to mark the 71st anniversary of diplomatic ties between Russia and Vietnam (1950-2021).

The event was attended by Special Representative of St. Petersburg Governor Sergey Katanandov and vice chairman of the committee Vyacheslav Kalganov on the Russian side. On the Vietnamese side were Counsellor Minister at the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia Nguyen Quynh Mai and representatives from the Vietnamese associations in Russia, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association’s Central Committee.

In his opening remarks, Special Representative of St. Petersburg Governor Sergey Katanandov conveyed the governor’s greetings to the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and wished the congress a great success.

He highlighted several successful cooperation projects between St. Petersburg and Vietnam, notably celebrations of the 95th anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh’s first arrival in Russia and the 50-year implementation of his Testament.

The special representative also suggested the two sides ramp up cooperation in interpreter training, cultural and lingual exchanges, and economic, trade and investment partnership.

Mai, for her part, thanked for the greetings, saying many major matters, including ways to bolster foreign relations, are being tabled at the 13th National Party Congress. “I believe Russia is always on Vietnam’s foreign policy agenda,” she said.

Kalganov, meanwhile, spoke highly of the strong friendship between Vietnam and Russia throughout history, saying Vietnam is a priority in the St. Petersburg administration’s foreign affairs.

He gave a brief introduction about St. Petersburg’s work plan for cooperation with Vietnam between 2021 and 2023.

Pham The Vinh, a representative of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, said Vietnam attaches importance to strengthening its comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia and views the country as one of the top partners in its foreign policy.

He further noted that the Commission for External Relations always supports and appreciates St. Petersburg’s policies regarding cooperation with Vietnam as well as exchanges between the two sides./.