MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Russia is determined to continue regular substantive dialogue with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
"Vietnam is our long-standing and reliable partner, relations with which are not affected by any external influence. We maintain regular and substantive dialogue between our countries at the highest level. We are determined to continue it," she said.
Zakharova also noted Hanoi's reasonable position on the Ukrainian crisis. "The Vietnamese leadership has repeatedly spoken out in favor of a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, and to this day adheres to a balanced and responsible approach," the diplomat said.
In March, Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam, invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to visit his country in a telephone conversation. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the terms of the leader's visit to Vietnam were being agreed upon. The Russian president has already visited Vietnam four times. His first visit was in February 2001, then in November 2006 and in November 2017 he participated in the APEC summits hosted by Vietnam. Putin also came to Hanoi in November 2013 and took part in the opening ceremony of the Days of Russian Culture in Vietnam.