Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Russia, said National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

Mr Trong made the statement during talks with Russian State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov in Moscow on April 23. He said that the strong development of political ties between Vietnam and Russia is creating a prerequisite for the two countries to increase their cooperation in other fields such as economics, trade, education, national defence, and security.

He appreciated Russia’s assistance to Vietnamese nationals living and working in the country, describing this as a positive factor in expanding the strategic partnership between the two countries. He also thanked Russia for supporting Vietnam in joining the World Trade Organisation and becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2008-09.

He stressed the need to further boost the two countries’ strategic partnership, including relations between the two legislative bodies. He said that Vietnam wants to learn from Russia’s experience in minimising the impact of the global financial crisis and economic recession to maintain steady growth and ensure social welfare.

For his part, Speaker Gryzlov said that the State Duma gives priority to carrying out the agreements reached between the two legislative bodies and wants to frequently exchange visits to share experience. He underlined the need to boost cooperation in education, training, culture and tourism.

Russia will continue to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to study in the country and grant more scholarships to the students in future, said Speaker Gryzlov.

Later, Chairman Trong held talks with Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly. They agreed to increase the exchange of deputies’ delegations to share experience and improve professional skills, while closely coordinating activities and supporting each other at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums such as the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and the International Parliamentary Union (IPU).

After the talks, they signed an agreement on cooperation between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the Russian Federation Council.

The same day, the Vietnamese NA leader met with the Chairman of the Russian Communist Party, Gennady Zuganov.

Mr Trong began an official visit to Russia on April 22 at the invitation of the Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, Sergey Mironov.

VietNamNet/VOV