Russian Ambassador to Vietnam: General Secretary To Lam's visit has key significance for bilateral relations

President To Lam and President Vladimir Putin attended a meeting with leaders of the Vietnam - Russia Friendship Association and generations of former Vietnamese students studying in Russia, June 2024. (Source: Nhan Dan)

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

The Great Patriotic War, as it is still called in the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia, was the bloodiest and most devastating war in human history. The outcome of this war had truly 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.

To achieve victory, 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. Just imagine how big these numbers are!

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Vietnam Gennady S. Bezdetko.

The lessons of the Great Patriotic War confirm that world peace and all-round development can be ensured only on the basis of taking into account the opinions of each people while respecting the right of states to pursue an independent and sovereign policy based on traditional values. This is particularly relevant and 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 that reflects the true civilizational diversity of humanity.

In this context, we would like to stress that Russia has always supported the multipolar world order, which in practice promotes the principle of sovereign equality of states and ensures the balance of interests. This is the only way to ensure fairness in international relations, commonly referred to as the Yalta-Potsdam System. The international legal significance of this system does not require any “fixing” – that is, the UN Charter must be implemented not selectively, but in its entirety and in its entirety.

Could you please tell us about the significance and importance of General Secretary To Lam's upcoming official visit to the Russian Federation and attendance at the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War?

We consider the upcoming official visit to the Russian Federation by General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam to be a key event in the program of bilateral contacts at the highest level this year. It is especially important that this event takes place in the context of both countries celebrating important holidays and memorable days in history, including the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification.

We consider the presence of the highest Party leader of Vietnam at the commemorative events in Moscow to demonstrate the unity of views of the Russian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the processes taking place in the contemporary world, on the outcome of World War II and on the impossibility of rewriting or falsifying history for political interests. We highly appreciate this gesture of the Vietnamese leadership.

We expect the leaders of our countries to have substantive discussions on the entire range of urgent issues 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 during these meetings and negotiations the two sides will reach important agreements aimed at strengthening the Russia-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in key areas.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Ambassador Gennady Bezdetko at the ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation on January 30, 2025 in Hanoi. (Photo: Thanh Long)

According to the Ambassador, what kind of impetus will General Secretary To Lam's upcoming official visit to the Russian Federation bring to continue promoting bilateral cooperation, especially after 75 years of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries?

Contacts at the highest level of leadership are always a good opportunity to further promote the development of cooperation in areas of mutual interest. I would like to remind you that in 2012, the Russian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam decided to upgrade their Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This format of relations covers the widest range of topics and areas of cooperation.

We expect that during the upcoming visit to the Russian Federation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam, 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 personnel training, culture and tourism, and people-to-people exchange.

The two leaders will also discuss topical topics on the global and regional agenda based on the convergence of views between Russia and Vietnam on key international issues, including the prospects for enhancing coordination of actions at important multilateral forums, primarily within the framework of the United Nations and other UN agencies.

I firmly believe that General Secretary To Lam’s visit will be a great success because we have all the necessary prerequisites to believe in that. We also hope that the two sides will reach specific agreements on strengthening trade and economic relations, including the implementation of large-scale joint projects in promising areas.

It is no exaggeration to say that we are currently witnessing geopolitical changes on a global scale. In this context, it is important to maintain and strengthen relations with traditional friends that have stood the test of time. Among them, Russia and Vietnam are certainly among them.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Ambassador Gennady Bezdetko and delegates attended the ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Russia diplomatic relations in Hanoi. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Vietnam is currently developing a green economy and moving towards clean energy such as nuclear power, a strong field of Russia. How interested is the Russian government in the project to build the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant in Vietnam and what are the possibilities for cooperation between the two countries in this field, Ambassador?

We understand that the Vietnamese leadership has decided to continue with the nuclear energy development program. We understand that this decision stems from the need to ensure national energy security in the context of dynamic socio-economic development, as well as the unstable situation in the global energy market.

The Russian Federation is ready to support Vietnamese partners in building the national nuclear industry. We have the necessary capabilities to meet the highest international safety standards and extensive experience in building nuclear power plants in many countries around the world, as well as highly qualified personnel. I would like to reiterate that Russia has had certain fruitful cooperation in this area with Vietnam.

I hope that during General Secretary To Lam's upcoming visit to Moscow, the leaders of the two countries will discuss issues in bilateral relations in a substantive manner and reach specific agreements on cooperation parameters according to this roadmap.

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady S. Bezdetko said that Russia-Vietnam cooperation has the potential to develop further based on the traditional friendship and rich experience accumulated over the past decades. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

The two countries have gone through more than 7 decades of friendly cooperation and development, achieving many important milestones despite many fluctuations in the world. So, according to the Ambassador, what will the future of the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership be like after this important milestone, Ambassador?

75 years is a long and proud journey. The relationship between our two countries has come a long way. It was formed during the arduous years of the struggle for independence and freedom for the Fatherland and the Vietnamese people, has stood the test of time and is not 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 past decades. The main areas include trade and investment, defense and security, education and training, science and technology, and humanitarian exchanges.

Today, economic cooperation between our two countries is of particular importance. Despite the difficult international situation and very strict sanctions, the trade turnover between our two countries is growing steadily. We consider Vietnam not only an important partner of Russian economic organizations but also a “bridge” to promote cooperation with other Southeast Asian countries...

In general, the Russian Federation and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have all the necessary conditions to expand their equal and mutually beneficial partnership for the purpose of mutual development and construction. We look to the future with confidence and optimism and are ready to cooperate closely with Vietnam to develop the great but untapped potential of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the benefit of the two peoples, for peace and prosperity.

Thank you very much Ambassador!

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nga-dai-su-tai-viet-nam-chuyen-tham-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-co-y-nghia-then-chot-doi-voi-quan-he-hai-nuoc-313205.html