Youngsters’ trust helps promote Vietnam-Russia ties: Saint Petersburg Governor

Moscow (VNA) – Governor of Russia's Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov has stressed the common task of helping youngsters build the realiable partnership between Vietnam and Russia, saying that stronger trust among Vietnamese and Russian youngsters will ensure the development of friendship between the two countries.

Beglov made the statement at an online conference to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMYU) held in Saint Petersburg on March 26.

He said that youth projects are important part of the working programmes of the city. In 2018, Saint Petersburg gave the initiative of organising the first Vietnam-Russia Youth Forum, which was lauded by leaders of both sides.

Recently, an online conference was held between the Ho Chi Minh City’s HCMYU and the Committee for External Relations of Saint Petersburg, he noted.

According to Beglov, he has asked Saint Petersburg's Committee for Youth Policies to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese youth, including the signing of cooperation agreement with Ho Chi Minh City’s HCMYU.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh affirmed that the partnership among localities of Vietnam and Russia is growing strongly, with Saint Petersburg being the pioneer in setting up twin relations with Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province.

Saint Petersburg has coordinated with Vietnamese partners to organise various activities on special occasions such as the 95th anniversary of the first trip of President Ho Chi Minh to Russia, the ceremony to place a stone in the location defined to erect President Ho Chi Minh in the city, he noted.

The diplomat underlined the special meaning of the conference which was held on the founding anniversary of the HCMYU, stressing that many generations of both sides have stood side by side and provided mutual support, contributing to fostering the traditional friendship between people of the two countries over the past more than seven decades.

Within the conference’s framework, a book by Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh on the glorious 70-year path of the Vietnam-Russia ties was introduced. The book comprises of more than 700 photos and documents featuring the Vietnam-Russia cooperation over the past 70 years.

Earlier, Ambassador Manh had a working session with Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, during which they sides highly valued the sound relationship between Vietnam and Russia in general and between Vietnam and Saint Petersburg in particular. They affirmed that local collaboration is a bright spot in the relations between the two countries over the years.

Both sides shared delight at effective joint projects, especially Saint Petersburg’s plan to erect President Ho Chi Minh’s statue in the city.

Governor Beglov thanked Ambassador Manh and staff of the embassy for making contributions to elevating the ties between Veitanm and Saint Petersburg to a new height. He said he and a business delegation of the city plan to visit Vietnam in the fourth quarter of this year.

Both sides showed their hope that in the future, the project to build Ho Chi Minh City’s culture-trade centre in Saint Petersburg will be conducted after COVID-19 pandemic is thoroughly controlled./.