Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his senior delegation arrived in Moscow on November 23 for their official visit to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by the Russian President's Special Representative Igor Morgulov, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam, ASEAN Ambassadors to the Russian Federation along with numerous Vietnam embassy staff and Vietnamese community representatives waving flags of Vietnam and Russia to greet the Party chief and other distinguished guests.

This is the first time Trong has visited Russia in his capacity as the Party General Secretary. During the visit, the Party chief is scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and meet with other Russian parliamentary and government leaders with a view to furthering cooperative ties between the two nations in politics, economics, trade, investment, energy, oil and gas, nuclear power, security-defence and more.

Trong and Russian leaders are to compare notes on international and regional issues of shared concern and ways to strengthen people-to-people exchange as well as cooperation between localities thereby contributing to a further uplift in the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

On the same day, Trong and his entourage laid wreaths at the monument to President Ho Chi Minh in Moscow, visited the Hanoi-Moscow cultural and trade centre and met embassy staff and Vietnamese community representatives.

On the occasion, Industry and Trade Minister Vu Huy Hoang is set to work with Andrei Slepnev, Minister of Trade for the Eurasian Economic Commission and chief negotiator of the Customs Union of Russia - Belarus- Kazakhstan. 

Phu Trong left Hanoi on November 22 for official visits to Russia and Belarus from November 23-28.

He is accompanied by Ngo Van Du, Politburo member, CPVCC Secretary and head of the CPVCC Commission for Inspection; Tran Quoc Vuong, CPVCC Secretary and head of CPVCC Office; Hoang Trung Hai, CPVCC member, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Cooperation Sub-committee; Pham Binh Minh, CPVCC member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign, among others.

Vietnam and Russia have seen a rapid development in bilateral relations in recent years, with their comprehensive strategic partnership growing deeply and effectively in a number of fields.

The two countries enjoy a high level of political trust. Two-way trade reached almost 4 billion USD in 2013, and exceeded 1.8 billion USD during the first eight months of this year.

Russia is currently running 92 investment projects in Vietnam , with a combined capital of 2.05 billion USD. It ranks 18th amongst the 101 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam is operating 17 projects worth 2.5 billion USD in Russia with a focus on oil and gas, as well as banking and trade.

Vietnam and Belarus enjoy a sound and time-honoured friendship and cooperation, with political ties growing continuously.

Two-way trade reached 152 million USD in 2013, with Vietnamese imports totalling 138.3 million USD.

The two countries see prospects for cooperation on labour export. As many as 600 Vietnamese nationals live in Belarus.

VNA/VOV/VNN