Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on May 18 arrived in Hanoi, successfully completing his official visits to Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus from May 12-17.

According to the Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, the visits manifested the highest level of the Comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, as well as the traditional friendly relations between Vietnam and Belarus .

The Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister made the remarks in an interview granted to the press on the outcomes of the visits and the prospects of future cooperation between Vietnam with Russia and Belarus.

Son said significant results were achieved in numerous areas. All the meetings were held in the spirit of openness, constructiveness and frankness, reflecting the desire to boost the relations between Vietnam and Russia and Belarus in a deep, stable and effective manner for the benefit of all sides.

He said PM Dung’s visit to Russia aimed at deploying the comprehensive strategic partnership approved by the two countries’ leaders in 2012, with prioritised areas for 2013 from politics to economics and trade, national defence and public security, as well as culture, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.

According to Son, the contents of cooperation discussed during Dung’s visit to Belarus were concrete and in-depth. The two sides brought forward a list of cooperation contents in the future, focusing on three important areas, including industrial mechanics manufacturing, agriculture, and education and training.

The overall outcomes of PM’s Dung to Russia and Belarus contributed to deepening the ties with the two countries, bringing forth effective and practical impacts, meeting the interest of all sides, he added.

Both countries affirmed to work closely with Vietnam in the international arena, particularly in ensuring peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

They also expressed active stance on the issue of the ensuring marine security and safety, and the peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea on the basic of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Son said PM Dung agreed with the leaders of Russia and Belarus to step up negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan , which are expected to conclude within two years.

He affirmed that the significant outcomes attained during Dung’s visits to Russia and Belarus will contribute to strongly strengthening and developing the time-honoured traditional friendly relations between Vietnam and the two countries.-VNA