(VOVworld) – President Truong Tan Sang and his entourage today began a 5-day official visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is Truong Tan Sang’s first European trip as a State leader. He is the first state leader to visit Russia since President Putin began his new presidential term. VOV’s Anh Huyen looks at efforts to boost the Vietnamese-Russian strategic partnership.
Vietnam and Russia officially established diplomatic ties on January 30, 1950. The two countries signed a treaty on basic principles for bilateral friendship in June, 1994, and a joint declaration on a Vietnam-Russia strategic partnership in March, 2001, during President Putin’s visit to Vietnam, setting a foundation and legal framework for the development of bilateral ties in the new period.

President Truong Tan Sang and former Russian President Dmitri Mevedev at 2011 APEC Summit

Considering economic cooperation a focus of bilateral ties, since 2007 Vietnam and Russia have cooperated in a List of Prioritized tasks to boost their strategic partnership. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia reached 1.98 billion USD last year. The figure was nearly 1 billion USD in the first five months of this year, up 45.5% from the same period last year. This is a significant achievement in the middle of a global economic crisis.  Vietnam and Russia are expected to earn 3 billion USD from the two-way trade turnover this year and 5 billion USD next year. This year marks Vietnam’s first trade surplus with Russia. Trade ties have improved since Russia officially joined the WTO. Vietnamese agricultural, fishery, garment, and footwear products are on the list of commodities with lower import taxes due to Russia’s WTO commitments. Over the next 3 or 4 years, many Vietnamese goods exported to Russia will enjoy tax rates 50% lower than the current levels. Russia is also a member of the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Alliance that is negotiating for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Vietnam to set up a four-party free trade area. Once this FTA is signed, commodities imported by these countries will enjoy tax exemptions or be lowered to the minimum level. This is an ideal opportunity for Vietnamese goods to compete equally in price and quality in Russian markets, and gain a larger market share. Russian Ambassador to Vietnam, Andrey Kovtun, said: "Russia and Vietnam have signed many cooperative agreements. This year, we are continuing to realize these agreements and have over the years succeeded in projects related to the first nuclear plant in Vietnam, which we’ll continue in the future. We are also discussing an FTA between Vietnam and the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Alliance. Especially with Russia taking over the APEC presidency this year, Russian cooperation with Vietnam and other countries of the customs alliance will contribute to simplifying trade procedures between the countries."
Russia and Vietnam started construction of a Hanoi-Moscow Trade Center in Moscow this May which is scheduled to be completed within one year. This project is of great significance for the Vietnamese community in Russia and will contribute to consolidating the traditional friendship and cooperative ties between the two countries while linking businesses from both sides to boost Vietnamese exports to Russia. Human resource training is a key point of Vietnamese-Russian cooperation. This year, Russia has granted 500 graduate and post-graduate scholarships to Vietnamese students, including Vietnamese students studying to become nuclear experts. There are currently 5000 Vietnamese students studying in Russia. The two countries have agreed to establish a Vietnam-Russia Technology University in Vietnam.
Cultural exchange activities are held regularly, strengthening understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Vietnam has become a favorite tourist destination for Russians and vice versa. Nguyen Thi Mai who works for the AMITOR Tourism Company in Moscow, told VOV: "Vietnam has become a popular destination for Russian tourists. Travel agents like us have done our best to promote Vietnam to Russians. Hopefully the Vietnamese landscape, people, and traditions will become more and more widely known through trade fairs and exhibitions."
During President’s Sang visit to Russia, leaders of the two countries are expected to sign a number of bilateral cooperative agreements.