Vietnam Party Chief to Visit Russia July 8-12
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh will pay an official visit to Russia from July 8-12 at the invitation of President Dmitry Medvedev.
This is the second trip to Moscow by the Vietnamese ruling party’s top leader following the first made in Oct 2002, one year and a half after he took up office.
Vietnam and Russia mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, becoming extremely significant as the former is chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which names Russia among its full strategic partners.
Hanoi-Moscow relations have been raised to the strategic partnership since 2001 during President Vladimir Putin’s first tour to Vietnam.
The former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) supplied many weaponry and aid to Vietnam in the war and Russia currently remains itself a major supplier of military equipment and technologies to the communist nation.
In last Dec, Vietnamese Prime Minister visited Moscow and signed a multi-billion-dollar contract to buy jet fighters and submarines from Russia, the biggest-ever one so far, allegedly to reinforce its coastal defense system.
Besides the political and military relations, the two-way trade represents an annual growth, standing at $1.7 billion last year. The two countries expected to raise the figure to $3 billion in 2012 and $10 billion in 2020.
Russia is also among major investors in the field of oil and gas in Vietnam. (
www.chinhphu.vn) )
Vietnamese
