VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet will arrive on an official visit to Russia on October 26-29 at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin press service said on Monday.

(photo: RIA Novosti)

The preparation for the meeting was discussed at talks between Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who arrived in Moscow in mid-September, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

During the visit, the Vietnamese and Russian foreign ministers agreed to strengthen bilateral military and technical cooperation. The Vietnamese top diplomat also said his country was preparing to abolish visas for Russians entering the country next year.

At the meeting, Lavrov said: “Our partnership with Vietnam is of a strategic nature and has very good prospects, as well as traditions of friendship and mutual assistance going back many years…”

Trade between Russia and Vietnam in the first seven months of the year exceeded $1 billion, and may reach a record $1.6 billion by the end of 2008. This year more than 70,000 Russians visited Vietnam comprising 17% of all tourist numbers to the Southeast Asian country.

(Novosti)