Oil and gas cooperation remains an important pillar in Vietnam-Russia ties

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomes Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin.

At the reception, PM Phuc noted with satisfaction that the particularly reliable political relationship between both nations have been maintained and promoted through delegation exchange at all levels and highlighted cooperation opportunities for further promotion of trade and investment ties.

He said he hopes that the ongoing official visit to Vietnam by the Russian Chairman of the State Duma will contribute to strengthening the bilateral relationship and Russia will be successful in carrying out investment projects in the areas of infrastructure development, energy and transport in Vietnam.

The government leader called for Vietnamese ministries and agencies’ closer coordination in effectively implementing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union in an effort to reach the bilateral trade target of US$10 billion by 2020, adding that both sides need to actively remove non-tariff barriers, especially for agricultural and aquatic products.

PM Phuc suggested the State Duma urge Russian agencies to allow more Vietnamese businesses to export seafood to the Russian market in line with provisions of the above-mentioned FTA as well as of the World Trade Organisation and international practices.

He also stressed that energy cooperation, especially oil and gas exploration and exploitation, continues to be an important pillar of the Vietnam-Russia cooperation while expecting the State Duma and Volodin to back this strategic cooperation.

PM Phuc thanked Russia for helping Vietnam train human resources and hoped the country to increase the number of scholarships granted to Vietnam to 1,000 per year, and intensify cultural exchanges and offer mutual support in tourism promotion.

He hailed the effective support from the State Duma and Volodin for stepping up cooperation between localities and wished the State Duma to continue acting as a bridge between Vietnamese and Russian localities on the basis of signed agreements.

The cabinet leader also asked the State Duma and Government of Russia to assist Vietnam in building an e-Government, and provide the best possible conditions for the Vietnamese community to ensure a stable life and effective business operations in the country.

Phuc also highly appreciated the cooperation between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the State Duma, and the exchange of all-level delegations between the two law-making bodies, which he said, has contributed to boosting coordination and sharing of information and experience in law-making and supervision, well as accelerating the implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements.

Volodin, in turn, glowingly spoke of the sound development of Vietnam-Russia ties and proposed a meeting in Moscow between Vice Chairman of the State Duma Ivan Мelnikov and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh with Vietnamese enterprises and overseas Vietnamese in Russia in a bid to seek ways to remove difficulties facing them.

He underlined the need to establish a legal foundation for developing an e-Government and assured Russia’s readiness to work hand in hand and share its experience with Vietnam in this field. Vietnam has become an attractive destination for Russian tourists with the number of Russian travelers to Vietnam exceeding 512,000, a year-on-year increase of 30% and the figure is expected to reach 700,000 this year.

According to Volodin, the increase in the number of Russian tourists to Vietnam is attributable to high quality travel services and safety. The training of Russian speaking human resources is necessary and Russia is willing to support Vietnam in this regard, he added.