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| Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the press briefing following their talks in Moscow on April 2. — VNA/VNS Photo |
MOSCOW — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday as part of his official visit to the European country from April 2-4.
The Vietnamese official stated that Việt Nam consistently regards Russia as one of its top strategic and trusted partners in its foreign policy. Meanwhile, Lavrov affirmed that Việt Nam is a priority partner in Russia's foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region.
The two ministers praised the continued dynamic development of the Việt Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership across all sectors. Political relations have been further consolidated with a high level of trust and regular exchanges of delegations at all levels. Economic and trade ties have returned to a positive growth trajectory.
Both sides agreed to further promote all-level delegation exchanges across Party, State, parliamentary, and people-to-people diplomacy channels. They said it is important to further strengthen cooperation between the two foreign ministries and expand the countries’ collaboration in such sectors as energy, transport infrastructure, logistics, science-technology, agriculture, biomedical science, culture, tourism, and education-training.
The ministers also agreed upon promoting the role of the free trade agreement between Việt Nam and the Eurasian Economic Union, focusing on implementing key projects and developing new initiatives to make economic, trade, and investment cooperation a pillar of the Việt Nam-Russia partnership.
Sơn requested Russia’s continued support for the Vietnamese community in the country, ensuring their stable living, studying, and working conditions. He also proposed that the nation consider visa exemptions for Vietnamese citizens holding ordinary passports.
He noted that Việt Nam highly values Russia’s role and contributions in multilateral organisations and agrees to enhance coordination in key international forums, including the United Nations (UN), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and BRICS as well as in response to non-traditional security challenges.
Both sides agreed to uphold international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to maintain peace, security, stability, and cooperation in the region.
Following the talks, the two ministers held a press conference to announce the outcomes.
Earlier the same day in the Russian capital, Sơn laid flowers at the statue of late President Hồ Chí Minh, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, and met with representatives of the Vietnamese community. — VNA/VNS
