Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev will visit Vietnam on November 18-19, marking his fourth trip to the country since 2010, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has announced.
General Secretary President Nguyen Phu Trong receives Russian PM Medvedev in Hanoi in 2012. Photo: VNS
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Vietnam and Russia established diplomatic relations in 1950 and upgraded the relationship to strategic partnership in 2001 and to comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012.
Defense cooperation highlighted
Medvedev first came to Vietnam in October 2010 as Russian President with an aim to boost cooperation in telecommunications, banking, manufacturing, and space exploration. In this visit, he affirmed Vietnam was Russia’s one of the most important partners in Asia-Pacific.
His second visit took place in November 2012 with the focal point set to defense and technical cooperation. During the visit, the two sides inked agreements on using outer space for peaceful purposes, boosting implementation of prioritized investment projects, signing memoranda of understanding on renewable energy, and licensing laborers.
In August 2012, Russia handed the first Kilo class submarine of a fleet of six submarines that the country agreed to sell to Vietnam through a contract worth US$2 billion signed in 2009.
In the same year, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin pledged to tighten cooperation with Vietnam in investigation, manufacturing, and maintenance of military equipment.
In return, Vietnam would allow Russia to set up a vessel maintenance depot in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh military base
Medvedev’s third visit to Vietnam was from February 28 to March 2, 2015 with a focus on defense and technology cooperation.
Cooperation in petroleum put at the center
The two sides target the two-way trade of US$10 billion before 2020 with oil and gas remaining central of the cooperation.
Vietsovpetrol's oil rig. Photo: Internet
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In the 2015 visit, Medvedev said that the two countries would continue running the joint venture for a long time ahead, at least until 2030.
In addition, Rosneft, the leader of Russia’s petroleum industry and the world’s largest publicly traded petroleum company, and Russia’s Gazprom – the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe and Turkey – are working in Vietnam.
In a visit paid to Russia by Vietnam’s Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong on September 5-8, 2018, Gazprom signed deals with PetroVietnam to exploit gas in Bao Vang field off Vietnam’s shore.
In turn, Russia allows PetroVietnam to carry out petroleum exploitation in Russia. Medvedev said that Vietnam was one of few countries being allowed to exploit oil and gas in his country.
In terms of investment, Russia poured a total of US$1 billion into 117 projects in Vietnam while Vietnamese businesses are conducting 22 projects with nearly US$3 billion in Russia.
