President Putin arrives in Viet Nam
VGP - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his entourage arrived in Ha Noi on Wednesday night, starting a two-day State visit to Viet Nam.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) is welcomed by Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its External Relations Commission Le Hoai Trung (C) and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (R) at Noi Bai International Airport, Ha Noi, June 19, 2024 - Photo: VNA
The visit is made at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
The Russian leader is accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Russian sub-committee of the Viet Nam-Russia intergovernmental committee on economic-trade and science-technology cooperation Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko, and Russian Ambassador to Viet Nam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko, among others.
Welcoming the Russian President and the delegation at the airport were Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its External Relations Commission Le Hoai Trung, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha who is also head of the Vietnamese sub-committee of the Viet Nam-Russia intergovernmental committee on economic-trade and science-technology cooperation, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi.
This is the fifth visit to Viet Nam by President Putin, and Viet Nam is also one of the first countries he has visited after taking office for his fifth term in early May.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Noi Bai International Airport, Ha Noi, June 19, 2024 - Photo: VNA
Viet Nam and Russia share a longstanding friendship and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Viet Nam considers its relationship with Russia strategically important, designating the country as a top priority in its foreign policy. Similarly, Russia views Viet Nam as a reliable partner and one of its primary priorities in the Asia-Pacific region.
In an interview ahead of the visit, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi said, President Putin's State visit to Viet Nam is of great significance, aiming to deepen Viet Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership across all sectors and upgrade the bilateral ties in the new context.
During the visit, both sides are expected to sign a number of new cooperation agreements, creating impetus for boosting bilateral ties. These agreements not only bring economic benefits but also strengthen connectivity in terms of politics and strategy between the two countries, reiterated Dang.
The two-way trade value hit over US$3.6 billion in 2023, up 3.6 percent against the previous year.
In the first five months of this year, the bilateral trade saw a year-on-year increase of 52 percent, reaching approximately US$2 billion, of which Viet Nam's exports to Russia stood at US$956 million, up 45 percent.
As of the end of May this year, Russian investors poured nearly US$1 billion in 186 projects in Viet Nam while the Southeast Asian nation invested in 25 projects in Russia, worth around US$3 billion./.
