Putin made the statement during his reception in Moscow on February 24 for Le Hoai Trung, Foreign Minister and Special Envoy of Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam, who was on a working visit to Russia to convey the outcomes of the recent 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

He congratulated the CPV on the success of the 14th National Congress and extended his congratulations to To Lam on his re-election as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee. He emphasised that the continued trust placed in General Secretary To Lam reflects the strong confidence of the Party and the Vietnamese people.

Putin expressed his confidence that under the leadership of the CPV, headed by General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam would successfully implement its strategic priorities and achieve its development goals in the new era. He also reaffirmed that Vietnam is one of Russia’s key partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

Highlighting the importance of enhancing substantive cooperation, Putin stated that the two countries should further improve the quality and effectiveness of collaboration in traditional pillars such as energy, oil and gas, and military-technical cooperation, while expanding cooperation into nuclear energy, science and technology, transport, and other promising sectors.

He noted his readiness to maintain regular strategic exchanges with General Secretary To Lam and hoped to welcome the Vietnamese leader to Russia in the near future.

For his part, Trung conveyed a message from General Secretary To Lam, underscoring that the 14th National Congress marked a significant historical milestone, comprehensively reviewing 40 years of Đổi mới (Renewal) and setting out major orientations and strategic breakthroughs for Vietnam’s development in a new era.

He reaffirmed that Vietnam is committed to building a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilised, and happy socialist country, and expressed confidence that Russia would continue to be a reliable and steadfast partner accompanying Vietnam in its development journey.

The diplomat also conveyed General Secretary To Lam’s invitation to President Putin to visit Vietnam. President Putin thanked him for the invitation and gladly accepted.

Earlier the same day, Minister Le Hoai Trung held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. In a cordial and trusting atmosphere, the two sides discussed Vietnam’s foreign policy orientations following the 14th Party Congress, which for the first time identified foreign affairs and international integration as regular and key tasks.

Lavrov maintained that Vietnam remains a priority partner in Russia’s Asia-Pacific foreign policy. The two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation, including coordination between their foreign ministries, and agreed on measures to further strengthen their role in promoting and deepening ties. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Party chief’s special envoy meets leaders of Russian parties in Moscow

Special Envoy of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPV) To Lam, Politburo member, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, held meetings with Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the United Russia Party and Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of of the Russian Federation.