Vietnam is Russia’s largest trade partner in ASEAN
(VOVWORLD) - Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko has praised milestones in Vietnam – Russia ties in 2021 and Vietnam’s changes after nearly four decades of renewal in an interview on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.
 Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko. Photo: VOV |
Ambassador Bezdetko said the Russia visit by a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation led by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc was one of the important events in bilateral agenda last year. Last year, the two countries celebrated the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Joint Statement on Vietnam – Russia strategic partnership, the 40th anniversary of oil and gas joint-venture Vietsovpetro, and the 15th anniversary of the Vietnam – Russia Joint Venture Bank. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam remains the biggest trade partner of Russia in ASEAN.
Speaking highly of the coordinating role of the Russia – Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee on Trade, Economic and Scientific-Technological Cooperation, he said two-way trade hit record last year, reaching 4.97 billion USD as of November, up more than 12% against the previous year. In the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, Bezdetko said apart from donating “Sputnik V” và “Sputnik Light” vaccines, Russia also transferred vaccine production technology and medicines to Vietnam. Both sides shared experience in COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment and prevention, as well as sanitary and epidemiological measures.