Plenty of room remains available for further strengthening the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Russia, their leaders have noted.

During their meeting on the sidelines of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in China on October 17, State President Vo Van Thuong and Russian President Vladimir Putin also shared views on directions and measures to promote bilateral relations.

They include the enhancement of mutual understanding and political trust through all-level visits and exchanges, as well as the expansion of cooperation in economy, trade, security and defense, science and technology, culture, education, energy, and other areas under bilateral agreements.

The two leaders called for efforts to uphold bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and frameworks for economic, trade, and investment cooperation, including the Vietnam-Russia intergovernmental commission on economic-trade and sci-tech cooperation and the Eurasian Economic Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

President Thuong told his Russian counterpart that Vietnam always pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification. With that in mind, it considers Russia one of its most important partners and wants to foster the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership across all fields for prosperity and the sake of their peoples.

For his part, President Putin said Vietnam is one of the most important partners of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region.

Delighted at the fine relations between the two sides, President Putin said 2024 will mark 30 years since the signing of the Treaty on Principles of Friendly Relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Russian Federation.