26 july 2012

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev meets with President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Truong Tan Sang

Participants:
“Russia and Vietnam are very close friends and strategic partners. We have advanced our cooperation in various spheres in recent years.”

Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Dmitry Medvedev: Mr President and distinguished Vietnamese friends, I am very pleased to see you again. Our last meeting was in a different part of the world almost ten months ago. We are honoured to have you here in the Russian Federation. This visit is very important for our countries.  

Russia and Vietnam are very close friends and strategic partners. We have advanced our cooperation in various spheres in recent years. I believe we have made good progress in economic relations, as well as in the cultural and educational spheres. We maintain an ongoing dialogue on all issues. I had the chance to see for myself that our relations are based on a solid foundation during my visits to your beautiful and hospitable country. It was emotional for me to meet alumni of the Soviet and Russian higher education institutions. I met other people as well, and I am confident that your visit to our country, allow me to reiterate it, has many dimensions to it and will be beneficial for Russian-Vietnamese relations.  

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Moscow. Mr President, over to you please.

Truong Tan Sang (via interpreter): Mr Medvedev, distinguished comrades, I am very glad to be in Russia again. Each time I come here, it evokes special feelings.

As you have correctly noted, our last meeting was almost ten months ago in a different part of the world. I am very pleased to be in Russia today, as it means so much to me.

First of all, on behalf of the Vietnamese government, I would like to congratulate you on your election to the office of prime minister of the Russian Federation and chairman of the United Russia party.

I am absolutely convinced that the Russian people will undoubtedly succeed in the comprehensive modernisation of Russia under the leadership of President Putin, your direct leadership and that of United Russia.

Allow me to express our special gratitude to all of you, in particular for your visit to Vietnam in October 2010. I believe that you aren’t the only one with strong impressions of your visit to Vietnam; Vietnamese government members also have strong impressions of your visit to our country. I think that you were not alone in experiencing emotional moments. It was an emotional experience for all of us. I would like to use this opportunity and, on behalf of the Vietnamese government and people, express our deep appreciation to Russia for its assistance and support.

We fully realise that our current success in developing Vietnam, as well as our previous achievements in defending our independence and reuniting our country, are largely due to the assistance and support provided by Russia and our Russian friends. We are very satisfied with the progress in strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia over the course of the last ten years. Our bilateral relations have been very effective and fruitful in all areas. I think that we can be proud of our achievements in bilateral relations, particularly the trust-based political relations between Vietnam and Russia. I also hope that this visit will promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between our countries; therefore, I would like to discuss the following issues with you.

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