(VOVworld)- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has begun an official visit to Vietnam. After an official welcoming ceremony to be held on Wednesday, the Prime Minister will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung and meet Vietnamese Party leader, State President and National Assembly Chairman. This is Prime Minister Medvedev’s second Vietnam visit. It is of great importance as the two countries have raised their ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership. In October 2010, Mr. Medvedev visited Vietnam as the Russian President. In recent years, the relationship between Vietnam and Russia has developed rapidly. Mr. Medvedev’s visit demonstrates the two countries’ determination to further the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation in economics, trade, and investment, boost the implementation of major bilateral projects, activate the negotiations of a Free Trade Agreement to boost bilateral trade exchanges between Vietnam and the Russia Kazakhstan-Belarus tariff alliance.

Prior to his visit, the Russian Prime Minister told Vietnamese reporters in Russia that economics will dominate talks between leaders of the two countries. He urged both countries to boost economic and trade cooperation.