Dmitry Medvedev’s talks with President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang

The agenda included bilateral trade, economic, investment, research and technology, cultural and humanitarian cooperation and the free trade area between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam.

Excerpts from the transcript:

Dmitry Medvedev: Dear Vietnamese friends and colleagues, I am happy to welcome you to Moscow. Mr Quang, this is your first visit to Russia in the capacity of president of friendly Vietnam, which we view with appreciation as a major element of the further strengthening of cooperation between our countries.

We know that you have a packed agenda. After this meeting, you will have extended talks with President of Russia Vladimir Putin and meetings with our parliament speakers.

Our relations rest firmly on the traditions of friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation which we developed over decades. I would like to say that now our relations have entered a new stage. Our trade and economic cooperation is now seriously influenced by the Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam. Vietnam is the first country with which the EAEU has signed this agreement. We hope that this will benefit our economies and hence our people.

I would like to use this opportunity to ask you to convey our greetings and best wishes to our Vietnamese friends and colleagues, General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Once again, I hope you have a successful visit.

Tran Dai Quang (via interpreter): Mr Medvedev, dear Russian and Vietnamese friends. I am glad that I have come to Russia as President of Vietnam in the year of the 100^th anniversary of the Great October Revolution. I am grateful to the Russian leaders and the Moscow government for the warm welcome they have given to me and my delegation.

I am particularly glad to be able to meet with you again during this visit in order to discuss our practical actions and to revitalise our comprehensive strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation so as to elevate our relations to a higher level and deepen and expand them to the benefit of our people and peace and stability in the region and the world.

I would like to use this occasion to convey warm greetings to you, Mr Medvedev, from General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other party and government leaders of Vietnam. We are willing not just to revitalise our relations on the basis of a comprehensive strategic partnership but also to strengthen and expand them in other areas and through various means, including party ties. We also propose promoting interaction between our people.

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