Vietnam an important partner of Russia in Asia-Pacific

Kosachev was speaking while receiving Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in Moscow on September 27.

At the meeting, the two officials expressed their delight at the positive developments of the Vietnam – Russia relations in all fields and on all channels, including the parliamentary channel between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the Federation Council of Russia.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, they noted the two sides have maintained online exchanges, including recent phone talks between National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue of Vietnam and Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko of Russia. In addition, the two sides have maintained close coordination at regional and international forums such as the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA).

Kosachev affirmed that Vietnam is an important and close partner of Russia in the Asia-Pacific, noting it is the only country that Russian President V. Putin has visited five times.

Congratulating Vietnam on its successfully holding the 15th National Assembly election, Kosachev stressed that the Federation Council of Russia supports efforts to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam in all aspects.

The Federation Council will work closely with the National Assembly of Vietnam to promote the ratification and implementation of agreements signed by the two countries, he said.

He thanked Vietnam for providing medical supplies to Russia during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the Federation Council will make every effort to further accelerate the supply of the Sputnik V vaccine to Vietnam.

For his part, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son stated that parliamentary cooperation plays a very important role in deepening the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Federation Council of Russia has actively supported cooperation between localities of the two countries, making their cooperation models more practical and effective, he noted.

Minister Son suggested that the Federation Council continue to act as a bridge to help localities of the two countries implement concrete and practical cooperation documents, and at the same time support people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.

He also suggested that the Federation Council have a voice for Russia to prioritize vaccine supply and production technology transfer to Vietnam, and at the same time support policies for the Vietnamese community to help them live, work and study stably in their host country.

While meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) the same day, Foreign Minister Son highly appreciated the RDIF approving and transferring biological products to produce the Sputnik V vaccine in Vietnam.

Son proposed that the RDIF continue to give priority to providing biological products to Vietnam as soon as possible according to the agreed schedule.

CEO Kirill Dmitriev acknowledged Son’s proposal and said the RDIF is ready to transfer the Sputnik V vaccine production technology to Vietnam in order to meet its needs and then supply the vaccine to other countries in the region.

Earlier the same day, Minister Son laid wreaths at the Ho Chi Minh Monument and the Tomb of Unknown Soldiers in Moscow.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son is in Moscow for an official working visit to Russia from September 25-28 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.