Russian President’s Vietnam visit to chart development path for both nations
VOV.VN - The upcoming visit to Vietnam by Russian President Vladimir Putin is necessary for the two sides to chart a development path in new conditions, said Dr. Vasily Kashin, senior fellow at the Higher School of Economics of Russia (HSE), in a recent interview granted to VOV ahead of the top Russian leader’s visit.
President Putin has visited Vietnam several times before, with the first trip made in 2001. This visit therefore serves to highlight the great interest of the two countries in continuing to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership.
Talking about the mutual relationship in recent times, Dr. Kashin said the two nations have maintained close ties in a variety of fields and they always actively consult one another on international policy issues to enhance each country's position within the international arena.
The both nations also always take into account each other's interests when approaching international issues, while always maintaining and developing traditional areas of co-operation such as energy.
Current collaboration efforts are entering a new level, particularly as there have recently been projects in the field of Russian liquefied natural gas supply to Vietnam and Russian-Vietnamese co-operation projects in the new energy sector.
“We also maintain the traditional close relationship between the armed forces exchange visits by military delegations, and boost military-technical cooperation. In addition, cooperation areas such as education and tourism are also seeing development,” he stated.
Regarding the prospects of greater linkages between the two sides in the coming time, Dr. Kashin said that Vietnam has a rapidly developing industry, while the Vietnamese economy is growing at a high speed, meaning the industry requires a large amount of energy and other raw materials.
Therefore, the two countries have great prospects to build ties ahead in the energy field. In addition, Russia provides the Vietnamese side with several types of technology and equipment, both military and civilian. This is viewed as a positive motivation to bolster joint ties moving forward.
President Putin will make a two-day visit to Vietnam from June 19 to June 20. Vietnam is one of the first countries that the Russian President will visit during his new term.
According to Dr. Kashin, after this visit basic decisions will be made about the nature of the relationship under the new conditions. These will be decisions made related to the political principles of the relationship over a long period of time, as well as the foundation of economic ties with specific co-operation agreements set out.
The two countries may also come up with unified opinions on new industrial co-operation projects and the development of traditional areas of linkages, he added.
