Russia expects to further expand cooperation across all fields with Viet Nam: Deputy PM Alexey Overchuk

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk made the above statement during his meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Ho Quoc Dung on May 29, within the framework of the 5th Eurasian Economic Forum held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Overchuk affirmed that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) attaches great importance to promoting economic and trade cooperation with Viet Nam, the first country to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the bloc more than a decade ago.

Though bilateral trade continued to grow by 5.7 percent in 2025, he stressed the need for both sides to move toward a more balanced trade relationship.

He also affirmed that Russia, together with other EAEU member states, would consider Viet Nam's proposals regarding the review, amendment, and supplementation of the Viet Nam–EAEU FTA on the basis of consensus.

Ho, for his part, noted that it is the first time Viet Nam had sent a high-level Government delegation to attend the forum, demonstrating the nation's strong commitment to this mechanism, in which Russia is a key member.

Viet Nam always considers Russia as a traditional friend and one of its most important partners in its foreign policy, emphasized Ho.

The Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister proposed that both sides continue to expand market access through the EAEU mechanism.

He called on Russia to coordinate with other EAEU member states in reviewing, amending, and supplementing the Viet Nam–EAEU FTA after ten years of implementation, including the removal of threshold safeguard measures applied to certain Vietnamese products.

The two sides vowed to continue enhancing the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms and strengthen support for businesses in exploring market opportunities and expanding collaboration in trade, investment, logistics, science and technology, digital transformation, and innovation./.