Over the past 74 years with many unpredictable developments in the world context, the traditional friendship between Vietnam and the Russian Federation has demonstrated its enduring vitality through solidarity, understanding and trust; mutual assistance and cooperation during the years of struggle of the Vietnamese people for national independence, economic recovery after the country's reunification, as well as in the construction and development process today.
At the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin paid a State visit to Vietnam from June 19 to 20, 2024. During the visit, the leaders of the two countries will discuss and orient the Vietnam - Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership until 2030, more clearly defining key areas of cooperation, from economy, trade, defense and security, energy, science and technology to education, culture and people-to-people diplomacy. Long-term goals and specific action plans will be set out to ensure the sustainable and effective development of bilateral relations in the future.
Continuing the tradition of friendship
On January 30, 1950, the Soviet Union became one of the first countries to recognize and establish official diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, demonstrating the Soviet Union's strong solidarity with the Vietnamese people's just struggle for national independence. In fact, the special affection between the two nations had been laid three decades earlier, when President Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Vietnamese people, first set foot in Soviet Russia in 1923 to find a way to liberate the nation from feudal colonialism.
After establishing official diplomatic relations, Vietnam and the Soviet Union implemented bilateral cooperation, first of all by signing a number of agreements, treaties, and cooperation treaties. In July 1955, after the victory of the resistance war against French colonialism, President Ho Chi Minh made his first official visit to the Soviet Union and achieved practical results in many aspects. On July 18, 1955, speaking at the airport before leaving Moscow, he said in Russian: “We return to the Fatherland bringing with us the love and brotherly friendship of the Soviet people. Although Vietnam and the Soviet Union are thousands of miles apart, our hearts are always together and beat as one.” On the Soviet side, in February 1965, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union Alexei Kosygin paid an official visit to Vietnam, contributing practically to consolidating the close friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
During the struggle for national independence and national construction, the Party, State and people of Vietnam have received sympathy, support and wholehearted assistance from the Party, State and people of the Soviet Union. That comprehensive, great and valuable support and assistance over many decades has been an important factor contributing to the success of the cause of national liberation, national reunification and national construction of the Vietnamese people. Conversely, the Russian people have never forgotten the outstanding sons of Vietnam who fell to protect the capital Moscow from Nazi Germany during the fierce period of World War II.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation (the successor state of the Soviet Union) continued to be inherited. In order to create a new legal framework for bilateral relations, in 1994 the two countries signed a Treaty on the basic principles of friendly relations, built on the principles of respect for independence and sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit based on international law. Since this historic moment, Vietnam - Russia relations have made new progress, being raised to a higher level in quality.
In 2001, during President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Vietnam, the two countries signed a Joint Statement on the Vietnam-Russia Strategic Partnership, making the Russian Federation the first country in the world to have a Strategic Partnership framework with Vietnam, creating a foundation for Vietnam-Russia cooperation in the 21st century. Overcoming the fluctuations of the world context, the two countries continued to maintain their relationship and developed it into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2012.
Outlining new development directions for Vietnam-Russia relations
Three decades of implementing the Treaty on the fundamental principles of friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation have been actively implemented with many results. In particular, political-diplomatic cooperation is a bright spot with very high trust and has been consolidated through high-level visits and contacts as well as through regular consultation and strategic dialogue mechanisms. Over the years, Vietnam and the Russian Federation have developed relations through many channels, from the Party, Government, National Assembly to cooperation between localities and people-to-people diplomacy. In addition, leaders of the two countries regularly discuss many international political and security issues of mutual concern through official meetings in each country and on the sidelines of international conferences and forums, creating high consensus on many international issues.
At a recent briefing on the situation in the Russian Federation, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Genady Bezdetko affirmed that Russia prioritizes promoting cooperation with ASEAN, in which it always values and wishes to strengthen the close friendship with Vietnam, one of Russia's key partners in Southeast Asia.
Thanks to the driving force of high political trust, the two sides have actively improved cooperation in various fields. In particular, defense, security and military technical cooperation are highly valued. Energy cooperation continues to be effective, bringing large revenues to the budgets of the two countries, and is currently a field of strategic significance for both Vietnam and the Russian Federation. Notably, Vietnam-Russia oil and gas cooperation has had a breakthrough development in terms of scale, fields and areas of operation. According to Russian Trade Representative in Vietnam Vyacheslav Kharinov, the two countries are making efforts to effectively implement the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (of which Russia is an important member), aiming to increase bilateral trade turnover to 10 billion USD by 2025. Mr. Kharinov commented that Vietnam and Russia have great potential for cooperation in the automotive, pharmaceutical, medical and information technology industries.
In the fields of science-technology, culture-education, the two countries continue to reap many achievements. Director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Hanoi Vladimir Murashkin informed that since 2019, Russia has granted 1,000 scholarships each year for Vietnamese students to study at nearly 200 Russian universities, more than in the Soviet era. Cultural and academic exchange activities are held regularly, leaving very good impressions and echoes in the hearts of the people of the two countries.
It can be affirmed that, in the context of the complicated developments of the world and the region, with many potential challenges, the Vietnam - Russian Federation Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is of great significance to the cause of protecting independence, sovereignty and socio-economic development of each country, in line with the aspirations of the people of the two countries, while contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world. In the coming time, the two countries will continue to honor the achievements of the past, seize the opportunities of the present and chart an open path towards a bright future of loyal friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the new era.
Source
Comment (0)