Top Vietnamese leader meets Russia’s Federation Council Chairwoman
VGP - General Secretary and President To Lam met with Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matvienko in Moscow on September 8 (local time), during which both sides discussed measures to further deepen bilateral relations and parliamentary cooperation.
General Secretary and President To Lam (L) and Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matvienko, Moscow, September 8, 2026 - Photo: VNA
Welcoming General Secretary and President To Lam to Russia, Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko reaffirmed that the Federation Council regards Viet Nam as a traditional and trusted friend and an important partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region.
She affirmed the Council's strong support for further strengthening the Viet Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership across all fields, while congratulating Viet Nam on its socio-economic achievements.
Matvienko also congratulated Viet Nam on the successful organization of elections of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term.
For his part, To Lam thanked Matvienko and the Federation Council for their warm reception of the Vietnamese delegation, stressing that Viet Nam always attaches great importance to its traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.
He expressed his desire to further promote the valuable ties nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, bringing bilateral relations into a new phase of more substantive, profound and effective development.
To Lam spoke highly of the Federation Council's and Matvienko's contributions to bilateral ties, as well as the positive outcomes of parliamentary cooperation.
He proposed stepping up exchanges between leaders of the two legislatures, specialized committees, friendship parliamentarians' groups, and young and female parliamentarians, while enhancing the sharing of experience in legislation, oversight and decision-making on major national issues.
The Vietnamese leader also called on the two legislative bodies to continue contributing to the development of a favorable legal framework for bilateral cooperation, and strengthen supervision and follow-up of agreements reached by the two countries' senior leaders and Governments. Such efforts, he said, would help turn political commitments into concrete programs, projects and practical cooperation outcomes.
Matvienko affirmed that the Federation Council stands ready to work closely with the Vietnamese NA and make positive contributions to implementing the orientations and agreements reached by the two countries' senior leaders.
Regarding local-level cooperation, the two sides agreed that this area has considerable potential and can serve as an important channel for deepening bilateral ties. They called for more effective implementation of existing partnerships and the establishment of new pairs of partner localities.
They also encouraged local authorities and businesses to increase direct contacts to identify specific projects matching their respective strengths and needs, particularly in trade, investment, tourism, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
Matvienko stressed that the friendship between the Russian and Vietnamese peoples has been cultivated over generations and should be passed on to younger generations. She voiced support greater cultural, educational, tourism and youth exchanges, as well as efforts to promote Russian language teaching and learning in Viet Nam and Vietnamese in Russia.
Noting that Viet Nam is becoming increasingly attractive to Russian visitors, she said there remains vast potential to expand cultural and tourism cooperation, thereby strengthening people-to-people ties and economic links.
The two sides also exchanged views on cooperation at regional and international parliamentary forums, agreeing to maintain consultation, coordination and mutual support within multilateral parliamentary mechanisms, thus contributing to dialogue, cooperation, peace, stability and sustainable development.
To Lam affirmed Viet Nam's support for enhancing the role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting dialogue, building trust and fostering cooperation among nations. He expressed his hope that the two legislatures would continue coordinating closely and contributing to the advancement of Viet Nam-Russia relations and the settlement of regional and international issues on the basis of respect for international law.
On the occasion, To Lam conveyed National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man's greetings and invitation to Matvienko to visit Viet Nam this year. Matvienko welcomed the invitation and expressed her readiness to coordinate with the State Duma in arranging a visit to Russia by the top Vietnamese legislator at a mutually convenient time./.