Russian Ambassador highlights the significance of General Secretary To Lam's visit to the Russian Federation

Russian Ambassador highlights the significance of General Secretary To Lam's visit to the Russian Federation

At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will attend the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War and pay an official visit to the Russian Federation.

On this occasion, Russian Ambassador GSBezdetko gave an interview to the press on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War and General Secretary To Lam's visit to the Russian Federation.

- On May 9, Russia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War. Could you please tell us what this event means in the current context?

Ambassador GSBezdetko: The Great Patriotic War as it is still called in the former Soviet Union and the present Russian Federation was the bloodiest and most devastating war in human history.

The outcome of this war had epochal significance for many countries and peoples of the world, had the effect of completely changing the political situation on the planet and laying the foundations for the contemporary world order. The whole world has known very well that the main burden of this war fell on the shoulders of the people of the former Soviet Union.

According to official figures, by the summer of 1944, about 75% of all German divisions were fighting on the Soviet-German front and most of the weapons and equipment of Nazi Germany and its allies were concentrated on this front.

On the "Eastern Front" - which decided the outcome of World War II, 507 Nazi German divisions and 100 allied divisions were defeated - almost 3.5 times their forces in all other war zones combined...

To win, the Soviet Union made extraordinary efforts and paid an unprecedented price: it suffered enormous material damage, many cities and villages were destroyed, and more than 27 million Soviet citizens died.

The lessons of the Great Patriotic War affirm that world peace and all-round development can be ensured only on the basis of respect for the aspirations of each people, respect for the right of states to pursue an independent and sovereign policy based on traditional values.

This is especially necessary in the current geopolitical context, when the world is facing unprecedented challenges and threats, when international relations are undergoing a fundamental restructuring, when a new world order is being formed.

In this context, we would like to stress that Russia has always supported the multipolar world order, promoting in practice the principle of sovereign equality of states and ensuring the balance of interests. This is the only way to ensure fairness in international relations.

The international legal significance of this system does not require any adjustment, but rather the UN Charter must be implemented in its entirety and not in a selective manner.

- General Secretary To Lam will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation and attend the 80th Anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War. According to the Ambassador, what is the special significance of this visit to the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and what are the Ambassador's expectations for this visit?

Ambassador GSBezdetko: We consider the upcoming visit to the Russian Federation by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam an important event in the program of bilateral contacts at the highest level this year.

What is particularly important is that this event takes place in the context of our two countries celebrating important holidays and memorable days in history, including the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Russia-Vietnam diplomatic relations, the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War and the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification of Vietnam.

We consider the presence of the top leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam at the commemorative events in Moscow as evidence of the unity of views of the Russian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the processes taking place in the world today, on the outcome of World War II and the impossibility of rewriting or distorting history for political gain.

We are optimistic and hope that the leaders of the two countries will have a substantive discussion on the entire range of issues currently on the bilateral agenda, focusing on promoting practical cooperation and resolving outstanding issues. We are actively preparing for the upcoming meetings and negotiations. We hope that as a result of the upcoming meetings and negotiations, important agreements will be reached to strengthen the Russia-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in key areas.

We hope that during General Secretary To Lam's visit to Russia this time, the two sides will discuss in detail the current situation and prospects for further deepening cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, industrial production, defense and security, science and technology, education and training, culture, tourism and humanities exchanges.

We plan to coordinate our agenda on topical topics in global and regional politics based on the closeness of our positions on key international issues, including the prospects for enhanced coordination of actions at key multilateral forums, first of all the United Nations and its working bodies.

I am confident that the visit will be a success. There are all the necessary prerequisites for success. We hope that the two sides will reach concrete agreements on strengthening trade and economic relations, including the implementation of large-scale joint projects in promising areas.

We are currently witnessing geopolitical changes on a global scale. In these conditions, it is important to maintain and strengthen relations with old, traditional friends. Certainly, among them are the Russian Federation and Vietnam.

- This year, Russia and Vietnam celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. What is the development prospect of the two countries after such an important milestone?

Ambassador GSBezdetko: 75 years is a long and proud journey. The relationship between our two countries has come a long way. That relationship was formed during the arduous years of the struggle for independence and freedom for the Fatherland and the Vietnamese people, overcoming the test of time and not being affected by temporary fluctuations in the situation.

These factors have laid the foundation for the Russia-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for many decades. I believe that Russia-Vietnam cooperation has prospects for further development based on the traditional friendship and rich experience accumulated over the previous decades. The main areas include trade and investment, defense and security, education and training, science and technology, and humanitarian exchanges.

We consider Vietnam not only an important partner of Russian economic organizations but also a “bridge” to promote cooperation with other Southeast Asian countries.

The Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Vietnam plays an important role, facilitating the establishment of mutually beneficial business relationships within the business community.

We support the strengthening of cooperation between the EAEU, ASEAN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other multilateral structures operating in the Eurasian space.

Among the key areas of the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership is the fuel and energy sector. For more than four decades, the main company operating in this field has been the Vietsovpetro joint venture.

Central technology platform No. 2 of Bach Ho field of the Vietnam-Russia Joint Venture (Vietsovpetro). Photo: Huy Hung/VNA

Russia's Gazprom, the world's leading natural gas producer, is also operating in Vietnam.

We welcome cooperation projects in the field of industrial production with a high proportion of modern and advanced technology, such as the Russian-branded GAZ car manufacturing plant established in Da Nang, the Russian-Vietnamese Joint Tropical Research and Technology Center, where unique research projects are conducted in the fields of medicine, ecology and materials science, etc.

Cooperation between the two countries in the fields of science and technology, education and training has become a tradition. Training Vietnamese citizens at Russian universities with federal budget funds within the framework of special quotas of the Government of the Russian Federation has proven effective. Currently, the project to build the first Russian language school in Hanoi is being implemented.

At the same time, Vietnamese who know Russian and Russians who speak Vietnamese act as the driving force for the rapprochement between the two peoples.

We attach great importance to cultural exchange, especially since Russian culture is very popular in Vietnam. In Russia, original Vietnamese art has always been of interest.

Russian artists perform at the “Cultural Colors” street festival in Hue city within the framework of Hue Festival Week 2022 (June 26, 2022). Photo: Do ​​Truong/VNA

Direct contact between people has always been a real driving force for humanitarian causes. The resumption of direct flights between Russia and Vietnam has contributed to the increase in tourist arrivals. In 2024, about 232 thousand Russians visited Vietnam, an increase of almost 85% compared to the previous year. The number of Vietnamese tourists to our country is also increasing.

We also note the contribution of the regions of the Russian Federation to the development of bilateral relations through maintaining close ties with the cities and provinces of Vietnam. The regions of Saint Petersburg, Tatarstan, Kaluga and Ulyanovsk are particularly active in this activity.

In general, Russia and Vietnam have all the necessary conditions to expand their equal and mutually beneficial partnership for the purpose of building and developing together. We look to the future with confidence and optimism.

We stand ready to work closely with our Vietnamese friends to develop the enormous but untapped potential of the comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of our two peoples, for peace and prosperity.

- Thank you very much, Ambassador.

According to Viet Duc (TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dai-su-nga-neu-bat-y-nghia-chuyen-tham-lien-bang-nga-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-post322266.html