(VOVworld) – Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese delegation arrived in Sochi on Tuesday, which will see Mr. Trong’s most important activities of his official visit o Russia. He held talks with President Putin and met with Prime Minister Medvedev, President of the United Russia Party.

During talks with President Putin, the two sides evaluated bilateral cooperation in recent years, the progress of major projects between the two countries, and discussed measures to boost bilateral cooperation in all areas as well as regional and global issues of mutual concern. Topics for discussion also included the Vietnamese community in Russia and people-to-people exchanges. They expressed their wish for stronger momentum for the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership, which will contribute to regional and global peace and prosperity.

Mr. Trong then met with Prime Minister Medvedev, President of the United Russia Party, who described his visit as elevating the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and providing an opportunity for both countries to improve political trust, deepen bilateral cooperation and consolidate relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the ruling United Russia Party. Mr. Trong stressed Vietnam’s consistent policy of respecting and promoting its comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia and considering Russia its most important and reliable partner. He said that the Communist Party of Vietnam wants to boost its friendship and cooperation with the United Russia Party. The two leaders agreed to bring two-way trade to 7 billion USD by 2015 and 10 billion USD by 2020. Russia pledged to accelerate negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. They expressed their satisfaction at bilateral cooperation in energy, considering this a key area of strategic importance to both nations. They agreed to create favorable conditions for each other country’s oil and gas businesses to operate on their territory and conduct oil and gas exploration and exploitation on Vietnam’s continental shelf in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They agreed to boost negotiations for a cooperative agreement on expanding and modernizing the Dung Quay Oil Refinery. In the area of nuclear power, Russia said it will cooperate closely with Vietnam in the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant by assisting Vietnam to build a legal framework for project implementation and training Vietnamese managers, engineers, and experts.

Mr. Trong proposed that Russia create the conditions for the Vietnamese community to receive necessary papers to live and work in Russia in line with Russian law and cooperate with Vietnamese agencies to settle issues related to the Vietnamese community in Russia on the basis of the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership. He asked the Prime Minister and government of Russia to facilitate the operations of the Culture and Trade Center (INCENTRA) in Russia, the building of a Center of Traditional Medicine to treat Vietnamese and Russian patients, and the opening of a direct flight between Vietnam and Vladivostok. Mr. Trong expressed Vietnam’s readiness to support Russia increasing its role in ensuring peace, stability, security, and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and Southeast East Asia. Russian Prime Minister Medvedev said that Russia will support Vietnam’s bid for membership at the UN Economic-Social Council for the 2016-2018 term and non-permanent membership at the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.  

Concerning the East Sea issue, the two leaders agreed that maritime disputes should be settled through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea toward adopting a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.