HANOI, February 25. /TASS/. Vietnam and Russia should bring trade and economic cooperation to a level consistent with the political relations between the two nations, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told TASS news agency Director General Andrey Kondrashov, now on a working visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
Pham Minh Chinh said that Vietnam-Russia relations have entered a new era of development.
"The leaders and peoples of the two countries have chosen a course to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership, expand substantive and effective cooperation in all areas, striving to bring economic and trade cooperation to a level consistent with political relations, especially in the areas such as energy, science and technology, education and training, tourism through the implementation of specific projects, including nuclear energy, metro construction and many others," the prime minister said.
He said the traditional friendly and trusting relations of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia have recently developed very positively, political and diplomatic ties are actively advancing, and numerous exchanges and contacts are regularly held at various levels. The recent telephone conversation between General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately after Vietnam's successful holding of the 14th Congress of the Communist Party is "a clear confirmation of the high level of political trust and close affection between the two countries," Pham Minh Chinh said.
The prime minister confirmed that cooperation in the fields of defense and security, energy and oil and gas continues to be an important pillar of Vietnamese-Russian relations, while economic, trade and investment cooperation remains stable despite numerous difficulties.
Kondrashov said that today Russian-Vietnamese relations are becoming a target for attacks by ill-wishers.
"Significant media resources are also involved in the campaign to discredit our partnership," he said.
Kondrashov told TASS that he was one of the founders of the Global Factchecking Network, which now unites over 100 experts from more than 50 countries. "During our negotiations, VNA expressed its willingness to join this Network, for which we express our deep gratitude," he said.