Transcript:

Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (Via interpreter): Mr Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, friends. On behalf of the Government and the people of Vietnam, I would like to sincerely and cordially welcome Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a good friend of the people of Vietnam, and all members of the high-ranking Russian delegation who have arrived in Vietnam on an official visit.

I very much appreciate the current visit by the Russian Prime Minister. This visit provides a powerful impulse for implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, which as recently as July this year was elevated to a new high level.

I would like to note that I am very happy to tell you that very successful negotiations have been held between myself and the Russian Prime Minister. They were marked by their warm-hearted nature and high level of trust. We briefed each other on the situation in our respective countries. We exchanged detailed opinions and assessed the prospects for the future development of relations between Vietnam and Russia. We have also reached a consensus on continuing cooperation in the international arena and in international organisations. We will single out some of the main results of our negotiations.

Firstly, our countries have decided to continue implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership. We would like these relations to develop effectively and at a high level, in order to further the cause of development in both our countries. We agree that we will strengthen the political side of our relationship, which will create a powerful impulse for development in various fields, especially in trade, the economy, investment, military hardware, education and the training of scientists and technology experts.

Secondly, we have agreed to intensify trade, economic and investment relations. We will do our best to overcome existing problems. We have decided to launch negotiations as soon as possible and to sign a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Customs Union, including Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

Thirdly, we appreciate the efforts of the departments and ministries from both sides in implementing strategic projects between our two countries, including in oil, nuclear energy and military hardware. The Governments of Vietnam and Russia will continue to create the most favourable conditions for ministries, departments and enterprises, expand and strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in the exploration and extraction of oil on the continental shelf of Vietnam and in Russia. We will build a nuclear power station in Vietnam, and we will raise bilateral cooperation in the area of military hardware to a new level.

Fourthly, we have decided that bilateral cooperation in science, technology and education must be expanded, and that specialists in the field of tourism and culture must be trained. This will help further expand comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.

We appreciate the fact that some very important bilateral cooperation documents have been signed during the Prime Minister’s visit, including an agreement on the use of outer space for peaceful purposes and a trade and energy agreement, which can help improve the legal basis of our bilateral cooperation. I am confident that under the comprehensive bilateral partnership we will do everything possible to ensure the comprehensive development of relations between our countries. This will further the development in both our countries and contribute to peace, stability, and regional and global development.

Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, journalists, colleagues. We have just completed negotiations with the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam. These were substantive, constructive and intense negotiations, as my colleague has just said. We did indeed work in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding, which are a traditional feature of Russian-Vietnamese relations. Of course, we examined all aspects of our relationship, focusing on ways of strengthening our trade and economic ties. On the whole, we are quite happy with the results: specific bilateral agreements are being implemented and bilateral trade is increasing. For instance, bilateral trade increased by 150% in the first nine months of this year. This is a good pre-condition for hitting the target figure we set ourselves ($7 billion) by 2015. And, of course, this is not a limit. We must look to the future and make sure our decisions consolidate the appropriate trends.

We are focusing on very important aspects of cooperation. Of course, I would like to mention the construction of the first nuclear power station. We discussed this issue, and I would also like to note that we will continue to be guided by the highest standards of quality and other criteria for ensuring the safety of this facility.

We discussed the development of the oil and gas sector. A recognised leader in the field is VietSovPetro, a joint venture that was established many years ago, in 1981. Today, it is one of the leading global oil and gas companies. For our part, we are establishing new companies, including ones in Russia. For instance, the RusVietPetro Russian-Vietnamese joint venture operates successfully in Russia, so all these companies have made remarkable progress. New projects involving Gazprom and the Russian-Vietnamese PetroVietnam Oil and Gas Group will also be implemented. We welcome the decision of other Russian companies, including Lukoil and TNK-BP, to enter the Vietnamese market, and we hope that all these projects will be completed.

Important documents were signed in the presence of our delegations and journalists, including a memorandum of understanding on energy efficiency, which is definitely an important issue for both our economies. An inter-governmental agreement on the use of outer space, which was signed today, is no less important. We will implement these agreements for the benefit of our economies.

Of course we will also build upon other aspects of cooperation, including engineering, the electricity industry, the development of mineral deposits, metallurgy, agriculture and banking. We expect inter-regional ties to change considerably and take on new elements. We intend to expand other infrastructure projects and to improve the legal framework, which my counterpart Mr Nguyễn Tấn Dũng has already spoken about. We did indeed agree to invigorate economic and investment cooperation within the framework of the free economic zone. The agreements on establishing the relevant zone and expanding relations between the Customs Union and, consequently, Vietnam … negotiations will get underway next year, and I hope that they will be productive.

Cultural cooperation is very important. This is a traditional area where our friendly, historical and extremely close relationship continues to develop, so we discussed contacts in the field of education. The establishment of the Vietnam-Russia University of Technology in Hanoi is a strategically important project. Of course, we will continue to expand cultural exchanges. We welcome the increasing numbers of Russian tourists travelling to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a whole range of other cultural projects which we consider very important in preserving good-natured and friendly relations between our peoples.

We also discussed the coordination of our approaches towards a range of international issues and our involvement in international organisations. I believe that this fully meets the high level of cooperation between our two countries. I would like to note once again that the negotiations were held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere. I would like to use this opportunity to thank Mr Nguyễn Tấn Dũng and his colleagues for this extremely positive atmosphere, and I would like to convey the very warmest words and best wishes to the people of Vietnam.