Moscow (VNA) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Valentina Matviyenko in Moscow on March 23 (local time) as part of his official visit to the country.
Warmly welcoming PM Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, Chairwoman Matviyenko thanked PM Chinh for his significant contributions to the bilateral relationship over the past time and expressed her confidence that the PM's visit would create new momentum, helping to consolidate and further deepen the traditional friendship as well as the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Russia.
The Chairwoman congratulated Vietnam on successfully holding the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels, expressing her confidence that the new legislature will continue to cooperate closely and constructively with the Federal Assembly of Russia, promoting the continued strong development of Vietnam-Russia relations.
On behalf of the Government and people of Vietnam, PM Chinh thanked Chairwoman Matviyenko, a dear and long-time friend of Vietnam, for her warm and cordial reception given to the high-level Vietnamese delegation.
Conveying the warm greetings and best wishes from Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Luong Cuong, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Chairwoman Matviyenko, PM Chinh stated that the Party, State, and people of Vietnam always cherish the loyal, close, and sincere affection that the leaders and people of Russia have reserved for Vietnam. Vietnam has always considered developing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia as one of the top priorities in its foreign policy, he stressed.
Congratulating Russia on its socio-economic development achievements, PM Chinh also stated that in recent years, Vietnam has continued to develop stably, achieving important and comprehensive results, including completing all socio-economic targets in 2025.
Highly appreciating the role of the parliaments of both countries, including the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Parliamentary Group, in promoting bilateral relations in the past, the two leaders agreed that in the future, it is necessary to continue increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels and through all channels, including the parliamentary channel, thereby contributing to consolidating political trust and creating a foundation for comprehensive cooperation.
Both sides also agreed to continue promoting the role of the two parliaments, coordinating the supervision of the implementation of agreements reached between the two governments in the fields of economy and trade, energy and oil and gas, science and high technology, security and defense, human resource training, and infrastructure; supporting the removal of legal obstacles to promote effective cooperation in the new era; and strengthening cooperation in culture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and connectivity between localities.
Welcoming the results achieved at the talks between PM Chinh and PM Mikhail Mishustin, Chairwoman Matviyenko affirmed her support for Vietnam's proposals and pledged to cooperate and support the effective implementation of the commitments reached by both sides.
She emphasised that in the current context, both sides need to promote cooperation in the fields of energy and oil and gas, while also prioritising humanitarian cooperation, promoting people-to-people exchanges, education and training, tourism, and cultural exchanges to enhance mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.
Chairwoman Matviyenko suggested that both sides should strengthen local cooperation, effectively implement existing relations, and promote the establishment of new local partnerships, especially after Vietnam's recent administrative boundary reorganisation, to further improve the effectiveness of this area of cooperation.
She also stressed that Russian people are very fond of traveling to Vietnam due to its beautiful natural conditions and scenery, and suggested that the two countries should organise more cultural days and create favourable conditions for teaching the Russian language in Vietnam to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries. Chairwoman Matviyenko also expressed her hope that more Vietnamese people would visit Russia, not only major cities but also other famous tourist destinations.
PM Chinh requested the Federation Council to continue supporting and facilitating the integration of the Vietnamese community in Russia into the local society, contributing positively to the socio-economic development of Russia and friendly relations between the two countries.
The two sides also discussed strengthening coordination at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Eurasian Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), contributing to peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.
PM requested the Federal Assembly of Russia to continue maintaining an objective and balanced stance, and to voice support for the position and views of Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in handling the East Sea issue on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On this occasion, Chairwoman Matviyenko conveyed her greetings to National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man. PM Chinh respectfully conveyed the invitation to visit Vietnam from Chairman Man to Chairwoman Matviyenko, and she happily accepted the invitation./.
