NA Chairman Man hailed Chairman Volodin’s official visit as a pivotal diplomatic activity to further foster the close, trusted and effective ties between the two countries, especially in the year marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Affirming that Viet Nam attaches importance to its traditional friendship and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Russia, he welcomed positive progress in the bilateral ties over the past year. He called on the State Duma to step up cooperation with the Vietnamese NA, focusing on sharing experience in the “smart parliament” initiative, refining legal framework, and helping agencies and organisations remove obstacles and facilitate trade, investment, energy, sci-tech, education-training, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
Chairman Volodin congratulated Viet Nam on its impressive socio-economic achievements and expressed his confidence in its ability to fulfill the Party’s goal of prosperity and well-being for its people. The Russian leader affirmed that he and the State Duma fully back the strengthening of all-round ties with Viet Nam and stay ready to work with the Vietnamese NA to expand mechanisms and new areas of collaboration.
Both leaders underscored the role of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee in overseeing and facilitating the implementation of high-level agreements and commitments, particularly those outlined in the Joint Statement on major directions of the Viet Nam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership adopted during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Viet Nam and Party General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to Russia.
They affirmed the readiness to work more closely to unlock economic, trade and investment potential, including through the effective implementation of the Viet Nam–Eurasian Economic Union Tree Trade Agreement. They noted positive results in energy and oil-and-gas cooperation, as well as efforts to advance cooperation in building a nuclear power plant in Viet Nam.
Chairman Man thanked the State Duma for swiftly ratifying agreements on oil and gas exploration and production in both countries, which were signed during Party General Secretary To Lam’s official visit to Russia.
The two sides also agreed to deepen cultural and educational ties, including Russia's training of Vietnamese professionals in areas of Russian expertise, and the teaching of Vietnamese in Russia and Russian in Viet Nam.
On parliamentary cooperation, they vowed to broaden and diversify contacts, promptly share information and legislative experience, encourage exchanges among parliamentary committees and friendship groups. They also committed to providing legal support to ensure smooth Viet Nam-Russia collaboration that delivers tangible benefits to both nations’ people.
On this occasion, the top Vietnamese legislator proposed the State Duma work with the Vietnamese NA to establish legal frameworks and favourable conditions in support of Vietnamese living, studying and doing business in Russia, and the Russian community in Viet Nam as well.
On the same day, the two leaders co-chaired the 4th meeting of the Viet Nam–Russia Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, the highest and first inter-parliamentary cooperation mechanism established between the Vietnamese NA and a foreign legislative body.
In their opening remarks, they agreed that the inter-parliamentary cooperation mechanism has become an effective channel, contributing to perfecting the legal corridor and promoting key areas of cooperation in line with the interests of both nations. Both sides affirmed that the organisation of such meetings on an annual rotating basis demonstrates the determination of the two legislatures to consolidate, promote, and further deepen the Viet Nam - Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In the working programme, the 4th meeting heard a general report on the bilateral cooperation and the implementation of the conclusions from the previous meeting held in Russia in September last year.
Delegates of both sides focused discussions on legislative support for the development of bilateral economic–trade relations, improving the business and investment environment; the legislation and supervision to boost cooperation in the energy and sci-tech sectors; the role of the legislatures in reinforcing multilateralism, upholding the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law towards building a fair, peaceful, cooperative and developing world; and parliamentary support for stepping up people-to-people cooperation, including in education, culture, and tourism.
The delegates shared experience in institutional and legal building and proposed numerous solutions to advance the bilateral cooperation in various fields through enhanced parliamentary cooperation, coordinated supervision of bilateral agreements, promotion of exchanges between specialised bodies, and close coordination at international parliamentary forums in which both sides participate.
At the end of the event, the two sides adopted a joint communiqué on the outcomes of the 4th meeting, defining the directions for future inter-parliamentary cooperation in line with the nature of the bilateral relations and the needs of both sides in the new context.
The 5th meeting of the Viet Nam–Russia Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee will be held in Russia next year.
