Top legislator welcomes Russian ambassador

Chairman of the National Assembly Trần Thanh Mẫn meets Russian Ambassador to Việt Nam Gennady Bezdetko on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — Developing ties with Russia is a consistent direction, strategic choice, and top priority of the Vietnamese Party, State and people in the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, Chairman of the National Assembly Trần Thanh Mẫn said on August 6.

Hosting a reception for Russian Ambassador to Việt Nam Gennady Bezdetko, the top legislator stressed that the Vietnamese people always bear in mind the wholehearted support from the Russian people during Việt Nam’s struggle for national liberation in the past as well as the cause of construction and development nowadays.

Over the past time, the Việt Nam – Russia comprehensive strategic partnership has been unceasingly consolidated and developed robustly, with regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, he said, taking the occasion to thank the diplomat for his contributions to the successful state visit to Việt Nam by President Vladimir Putin in June.

According to the top legislator, the two nations boast huge potential for cooperation. Last year, two-way trade stood at US$3.6 billion, while the figure in the first half of the year was $2.34 billion, up 45.4 per cent against the same period in 2023. He suggested the two sides bolster collaboration across economy and trade, making it on par with the bilateral relations.

He also recommended increasing delegation exchanges at all levels, and further the cooperation between the two countries’ parliaments and parliamentary friendship groups to share experience in lawmaking, supervision and decision-making in important issues.

Ambassador Bezdetko, for his part, spoke highly of the close cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia, and affirmed that parliamentary cooperation is an important collaboration channel in the bilateral ties. — VNS