A reporter from Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper who accompanied the delegation interviewed Chairman of the NA’s Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha regarding the outcomes of the visit, with many important new aspects opening opportunities to strengthen cooperation in various fields between Vietnam and Russia in the near future.
Q: How would you assess the major outcomes from this visit to the Russian Federation by the NA Chairman, duringwhich both sides successfully held the third session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the Vietnamese NA and the State Duma of Russia?
A: This visit marks the first official overseas trip by Comrade Tran Thanh Man in his capacity as the NA Chairman. It is also the first high-level visit by a Vietnamese leader to Russia following the Russian Federation’s successful presidential election and the formation of a new government. The visit took place shortly after Russian President V. Putin’s visit to Vietnam (from June 19 to 20, 2024), during which both sides issued a Joint Statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership, building on the achievements of the three-decade implementation of their Treaty on Principles of Friendly Relations.
This visit also took place after President To Lam was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam,and President Putin was the first foreign leader to hold a phone talk with Party General Secretary and President ToLam. During the call, they discussed measures to further deepen the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the Russian Federation. The visit reaffirms the determination to strengthen and enhance the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting the desire to consolidate bilateral cooperation based on trust and mutual benefit. It also aims to effectively and substantively advance the relationship between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the State Duma of Russia, underscoring that the legislative cooperation between the two countries is a vital channel within the broader framework of the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The content of the visit was meticulously prepared by both sides, and the programme was developed with an unprecedented level of cooperation from the Russian side. All of Russia’s top leaders held talks, meetings, and interactions with NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man. The discussions achieved significant and substantive outcomes.
Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit to the Russian Federation underscores the importance of the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. It also involved discussions on resolving outstanding issues in the bilateral relationship. Leaders from both sides engaged in comprehensive and substantive discussions on all aspects of the relationship, covering fields such as politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, oil and gas, energy, science and technology, education and training, labour, and defence-security. These efforts aim to implement the outcomes of President Putin’s visit to Vietnam, reflecting a mutual commitment to advancing and deepening the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
At the third session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the issues of bilateral cooperation were thoroughly and comprehensively discussed from a legislative perspective. The legislative bodies of both countries exchanged legislative experiences, enhanced oversight, and coordinated positions on international and regional matters of mutual interest. The two sides also discussed measures to boost bilateral trade, aiming to increase Vietnam-Russia trade turnover to 15 billion USD by 2030, along with other topics of shared concern.
Q: During this visit to the Russian Federation, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha also participated in the agenda of the NA sessions of both countries and will co-chair the meeting of Vietnam-Russia Intergovernmental Committee on Economic-Trade and Scientific-Technological Cooperation immediately after the visit of NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man. Could you tell us more about this content?
A: Following the outcomes of the third session of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the upcoming meeting of the Vietnam-Russia Intergovernmental Committee will continue discussions on specific measures to address challenges and further enhance the bilateral relationship across all sectors. The target is to elevate the relationship, aiming for a trade turnover of 15 billion USD by 2030.
Although this figure is still relatively small compared to the total trade volume of both countries, it represents a significant step forward, especially in the context of Russia facing sanctions and embargoes from the US and Western countries. This approach, with close coordination between the legislative and executive branches, is highly effective and aims to make bilateral relations increasingly substantive.
In addition to discussing the shared goal of creating more efficient legal frameworks for cooperation between Vietnam and Russia, both sides' leaders agreed to strengthen collaboration in oversight. This includes reinforcing the joint monitoring of the implementation of agreements between the two governments to ensure that they yield concrete results and are executed with the highest level of seriousness and integrity.
Another key point is the agreement between both sides to strengthen coordination in international and regional inter-parliamentary forums, ensuring the maintenance of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous environment in each region and across the globe. Moving forward, both sides will increase the exchange of high-level delegations, including friendship parliamentary groups, young parliamentarians, and women parliamentarians.
It can be affirmed that this first overseas visit by Comrade Tran Thanh Man in his capacity as NA Chairman, as assigned by the Party and State leadership, plays a crucial role in promoting and further strengthening the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Russian leaders have attached great importance to this visit, arranging the highest-level meetings and talks, including those with President Vladimir Putin, the Chairman of the State Duma, and the Speaker of the Federation Council.
These meetings were highly significant, yielding substantive results with concrete discussions on the overall relationship between the two countries and setting directions for future cooperation in multiple fields.
During the talks, President Putin highly valued the significance and outcomes of Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit and the accompanying high-level delegation from the Vietnamese National Assembly. He expressed the hope that the legislative bodies of both countries would continue to enhance parliamentary cooperation, thereby contributing to making the comprehensive strategic partnership more practical and effective. President Putin affirmed his support for both legislative bodies in implementing the cooperation agreements that have been signed.
Thank you very much!
