The Vietnam Business Association in Russia (VBA) has played an important role in strengthening traditional friendship, strategic partnership and mutual trust between the two countries, a Vietnamese diplomat said.

The VBA helped increase bilateral trade to 1.7 billion USD in 2009 from 1.64 billion USD in 2008 despite the global economic crisis, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Bui Dinh Dinh said at the VBA’s meeting in Moscow on March 21 to review its 2009 operations and discuss a plan for 2010.

He suggested that the VBA hold workshops or forums to discuss the Vietnamese community-related urgent issues such as registration for business start-up, labour and legal residence in Russia .

At the meeting, VBA President Tran Dang Chung highlighted the difficulties facing the association and the Vietnamese community in Russia, citing impacts from the global economic crisis and the closedown of the Cherkizovo market, the main trading venue for the Vietnamese people in Moscow, as examples.

He, however, pointed to the achievements made by the VBA in external and social affairs, investment promotion, and businesses, community support activities.

According to VBA Vice President Do Xuan Hoang, the association will host the fifth Vietnam business forum in Europe this year and join in an export goods exhibition in Moscow in September.

During the meeting, participants discussed issues relating to easing difficulties for businesses and the community and put forth new types of business in accordance with law and the Vietnamese people’s capacity./.