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Before making the statements, the heads of state were present at a ceremony to exchange the documents signed.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade To Lam, Ladies and gentlemen,

Comrades,

We are delighted to welcome our Vietnamese friends to Russia, led by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Comrade To Lam.

Yesterday, together with many other foreign leaders, we attended the celebrations marking the 80^th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A unit of 68 cadets from the First Army Officer Training School of Vietnam marched across Red Square shoulder to shoulder with the ceremonial units from Russia and other countries.

I consider the visit of our Vietnamese friends, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Victory, as yet another evidence of the time-tested friendship, military comradery and mutual support between our nations. Russia remembers Vietnamese internationalist volunteers who fought heroically alongside Red Army soldiers in the Battle of Moscow in 1941–1942. Last year, a sculpture was erected in the Patriot Park near Moscow to honour their deeds.

In turn, the Soviet Union put significant effort into helping the emerging Vietnamese state to continue its struggle for freedom and independence, contributing to the country’s economic and social progress, infrastructure development, and personnel training. Undeniably, the Soviet Union also made a significant contribution to the liberation of southern Vietnam and the country’s reunification. April 30 marked the 50^th anniversary of those important historical events.

This year also marks the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over the years, our bilateral ties have grown stronger, evolving to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and continue to expand in the spirit of equality, mutual respect, and consideration of each other’s interests.

The talks we have just had with Comrade To Lam serve as a clear proof of all this. We substantively discussed Russian-Vietnamese cooperation across all sectors as well as the international agenda in a warm and constructive atmosphere.

As you have seen, an impressive package of documents has been signed following the talks. We have adopted a Joint Declaration, in which we reaffirmed the key principles of our bilateral partnership and mapped out specific guidelines for our further work.

First and foremost, these agreements are aimed at expanding our mutually beneficial economic cooperation. As of the end of last year, Russia-Vietnam trade grew by more than 20 percent, reaching US$6 billion. There is still more to achieve, as back in 2021, our mutual trade was slightly higher than that. But we know what steps are necessary to reach this prior level and go beyond that.

The steady increase in our mutual trade flows is largely a result of the Agreement on Free Trade signed by Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union. This document not only secured concessional terms for our goods and services to reach the respective markets but also facilitated a noticeable increase in investment and intensified technology and innovation exchanges.

It is important to note that Russia and Vietnam are shifting to financial payments in national currencies and seeking to develop reliable channels for cooperation in banking and lending.

Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture Bank plays a key role in servicing our trade transactions. The bank has been successfully operating for almost 20 years, steadily providing Vietnamese and Russian customers with a broad range of financial and lending services.

Our cooperation in energy is expanding. I will not list everything that has been done in this sector but I want to note that this cooperation has been developing for many years, and the progress is clear. Today, we approved new agreements in the context of implementing mutually beneficial Russian-Vietnamese projects.

In addition, Zarubezhneft plans to build a marine wind power station with a capacity of 1,000 MW in southeastern Vietnam. Russian companies are interested in joining the construction of new and modernisation of the existing hydropower generation facilities in the republic.

The agreements signed just now on peaceful atom are opening doors to providing Vietnam with affordable and environmentally safe energy. This project will become a good stimulus for the further growth of the Vietnamese economy, for the creation of thousands of new jobs, and the training of highly qualified local workforce.

This work is already underway. Moreover, as we have heard today from Rosatom CEO, certain Vietnamese specialists have joined the teams at Russian nuclear facilities in third countries. This means that the level of their training corresponds to all international standards.

A centre of nuclear science and technology in Vietnam is also on the agenda.

Among the examples of mutually beneficial industrial cooperation, I would like to note the facility that manufactures Gazelle cargo and passenger minibuses in Da Nang. Russia’s Kamaz is expanding its presence in the Vietnamese market, with a chain of dealerships and service centres now established across the country.

Russia and Vietnam are implementing a number of joint infrastructure projects. Regular container cargo transportation is maintained through the Vladivostok – Ho Chi Minh City maritime transport corridor. The logistics hub in the Ho Chi Minh City port consolidates cargo from Thailand, Malaysia and other countries of Southeast Asia for further shipment to Russia.

Bilateral partnership in agriculture is advancing steadily. Livestock farms are being built in several Russian regions, including Bashkortostan, the Tyumen Region, and the Moscow Region, with the participation of Vietnamese investors.

I know that a dairy plant will be launched in the Kaluga Region tomorrow, with the Vietnamese company TH Group participating in the project. The new facility will supply products to Asia-Pacific markets, among others.

In humanitarian sphere, Russia and Vietnam have a good tradition to hold mutual Days of Culture on a regular basis, a practice that effectively brings our nations together. National cinema weeks, art exhibitions, and touring music and theatre productions are popular in both Russia and Vietnam.

More than 3,000 Vietnamese citizens study at Russian universities; overall, about 75,000 Vietnamese people have been educated in our country. It goes without saying that we intend to continue to promote student exchanges and new joint educational projects and university programmes in every possible way.

I met with people who had graduated from our universities when I was in Vietnam last year. I must tell you that this is a very active group of our Vietnamese friends who are vigorously promoting the Russian language and Russian culture. This is certainly a reliable resource for expanding bilateral ties.

We greatly appreciate Vietnam’s attention to the study of the Russian language. It is included in the secondary school curriculum as the first foreign language. Work is underway to open a Russian gymnasium in Hanoi. A branch of the Pushkin Russian Language Institute has been operating in the capital of Vietnam for years. Under the intergovernmental agreement signed today, it is going to provide a platform for the Regional Centre for Russian Language Learning for citizens of all countries of Southeast Asia.

The Joint Vietnam-Russia Tropical Research and Technology Centre in Hanoi serves as an effective platform for Russian and Vietnamese specialists to conduct joint research in such important fields as ecology and nature conservation, medicine, combating infectious diseases and epidemics, and so on.

I certainly cannot fail to note the recent noticeable increase in tourist traffic between Russia and Vietnam, which nearly doubled last year. The direct air service is expanding, with several new flights added this year, connecting Moscow and other major Russian cities with Hanoi and Nha Trang.

Naturally, during the talks, we also discussed important issues on the global and regional agendas. I would like to emphasise that Russia’s and Vietnam’s respective stances on these issues largely coincide or are closely aligned.

Our countries firmly uphold and support the rule of international law, the sovereignty of states and non-interference in internal affairs. They coordinate their efforts at key multilateral platforms, including the Russia-ASEAN dialogue, and jointly advocate for the peaceful and sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific region.

In conclusion, I would like to once again express my gratitude to Comrade To Lam for the productive joint work. Today’s talks will undoubtedly serve to further strengthen the Russian-Vietnamese comprehensive strategic partnership, which benefits both nations.

I already expressed our gratitude to Comrade To Lam for his direct and personal involvement in the development of Russian-Vietnamese ties, and I would like to emphasise this once again. Since Comrade To Lam became General Secretary, we have seen rapid progress of Russian-Vietnamese relations and cooperation in many fields. Comrade To Lam, we greatly appreciate your contribution.

Thank you for your attention.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam (retranslated): Mr President,

Colleagues, members of the media,

I am glad to be again in great and beautiful Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, a loyal friend and comrade of Vietnam, in order to attend the celebration of the 80^th anniversary of Victory of the Soviet and Russian people in the Great Patriotic War.

I would like to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to the President and Russia’s senior officials for the warm and comradely welcome extended to the high-ranking delegation and me. We congratulate Russia on the very successful and solemn celebration of Victory Day which is a particularly important event that will forever go down in history of humanity and forever glorify the great contribution of the Soviet Red Army, including those who laid down their lives for independence of their country and allied countries in fighting against Nazism, defending and bringing freedom, independence and peace to humanity. This victory makes the younger generations aware of the value of peace and the heroic traditions of the nation.

We also marked the 50^th anniversary of liberation of the South, which went down in history of our people as one of its most outstanding chapters, a glittering symbol of the complete victory of revolutionary heroism and human reason, which went down in world history as a great feat of the 20^th century. The two events become even more significant if you think about close ties and mutual support between our countries in the past.

President Vladimir Putin and I held very productive talks in an atmosphere of openness, sincerity, and mutual understanding. We discussed a whole range of bilateral issues. The President and I reiterated that the leaders and peoples of Vietnam and Russia have always cherished the long-standing traditional friendship between our two countries, which has been tested by time and gets ever stronger in the name of long-term interests of our two peoples and for the benefit of both nations.

President Putin and I have aligned our agendas on the main areas of comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.

First, we will work to strengthen the foundations of high political trust and traditional friendship that have been laid by many generations of the leaders and peoples of our two countries, and to strengthen political exchanges and dialogues at all levels between our respective parties, states, governments, parliaments, and regions. We will also focus on improving traditional education of the two countries’ younger generations.

Second, we will create breakthroughs in economic, trade and investment cooperation, maximise the use of the existing potential, and eliminate all difficulties and obstacles. We will promote innovative areas of cooperation such as clean energy, support for the manufacturing industry, and the closed-cycle economy. We agreed on pursuing concrete projects symbolising our friendship in the new era.

The sides support energy and oil-and-gas companies to promote cooperation, to expand investment and to work in each other’s territories in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, in particular, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Third, we will work to develop new, substantial, and effective breakthroughs in scientific research and technology, nuclear energy, biotechnology, and the semiconductor industry. We also agreed to promote the implementation of joint research projects.

Fourth, we will deepen cooperation in defence, security, and military technology, jointly respond to non-conventional security and cyber security challenges and prevent and oppose high-tech crimes.

Fifth, we will strengthen cooperation in education, professional training, and labour. We agreed to step up the training of specialists to promote the Russian language studies in Vietnam and the Vietnamese language studies in Russia.

Also, we will work to expand direct air service between our two countries. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that yesterday the Vietnam Airlines national airline resumed direct flights between the capitals of the two countries, and the privately owned VietJet Air airline is about to launch flights connecting the two countries as well.

The President and I discussed ways to step up the efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnam appreciates Russia’s efforts and hopes that Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, will continue to play an important role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, ensuring safety and freedom of navigation and air navigation, and peacefully resolving disputes in the region, including the East Sea, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

We welcome and support Russia’s initiatives to advance cooperation within ASEAN in order to build a strong and united ASEAN community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Russian President and Government of Russia for their continuous support and assistance to the Vietnamese diaspora. We hope that the Russian side will continue to assist the Vietnamese diaspora so that they can live, work and integrate into Russian society in a peaceful and stable way, and continue to act as a bridge of friendship between our countries.

Thank you again to Mr President and media representatives for the full and truthful coverage of my visit.

I invited President Putin to visit Vietnam, and he gratefully accepted the invitation.

I wish good health to President Vladimir Putin and every media member present here.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Mr To Lam, our dear friend and comrade, mentioned another area of our cooperation. He said we plan to strengthen defence and security cooperation. I did not mention that in my remarks, but I confirm that we have such plans. Bearing in mind the famous line from a Russian song, “From the taiga to the British seas, the Red Army is the strongest of all!” we have every reason to believe that all our plans in this area will come to fruition.