MOSCOW, May 14 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will hold talks in Moscow with the head of government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung. The press service of the Russian Cabinet reported that Medvedev and Nguyen Tan Dung will discuss key issues of bilateral relations, with emphasis on the trade, economic and investment cooperation.
“Special attention will be given to the problem of negotiations on the conclusion of a free trade zone agreement between the member states of the Customs Union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan) and Vietnam, as well as the implementation of joint energy and industrial projects,” the press service noted.
The Vietnamese prime minister is on an official visit to Russia since May 12, his visit will end on May 15. On May 13, in particular, he visited the Sudoremont-Zapad (Ship Repair-West) company in the Kaliningrad Region, where a diesel-electric submarine, built by Russian shipbuilders for the Vietnamese Navy is moored.
In the run-up to his visit to Russia Nguyen Tan Dung said in an interview with Itar-Tass that he intends to discuss with the Russian leadership a wide range of bilateral relations issues, including the nuclear energy industry and military-technical cooperation. “We will exchange views on the ways and specific measures to intensify bilateral cooperation in a number of spheres - ranging from politics, economy, trade and investment to the energy industry, including nuclear, production of oil and natural gas, and cooperation in the military-technical sphere,” the prime minister said.
Touching upon the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, the Vietnamese leader said that Vietnam and Russia will continue to pay attention to the development of cooperation in the spheres of science and technology, education and professional training, as well as in the sphere of cultural exchanges and tourism.
According to Nguyen Tan Dung, during the upcoming talks the sides will also exchange views on a number of international issues of mutual interest. In particular, they will touch upon the issue of coordination of the two countries’ joint activities in the international arena. In addition, the head of the Vietnamese government plans to discuss issues related to the situation of the Vietnamese community in Russia, as well as the theme of expanding exchanges between the peoples of the two countries within the framework of the “people's diplomacy,” which makes a significant contribution to strengthening the foundations of Vietnam-Russia strategic partnership.
“I am confident that the agreements that will be reached at the talks in Moscow will give a powerful impetus to further development of relations between our countries and will contribute to the expansion and raising efficiency of the multi-faceted cooperation between Vietnam and Russia,” the prime minister of Vietnam concluded.