 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung__Photo: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Vietnam's high-level delegation, led by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, made significant contributions to the success of the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit marking the 35th anniversary of dialogue relations, reaffirming Vietnam's support in promoting ASEAN’s central role and advancing the bloc's strategic partnership with Russia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung has said.
Foreign Minister Trung told the press following the PM’s participation in the summit, held in Kazan, Russia, on June 17-18, that the event has yielded "highly positive and comprehensive" results, laying a strategic foundation for cooperation between ASEAN and Russia – Vietnam’s comprehensive strategic partner.
The trip also underscored Vietnam's active contribution to promoting high-level bilateral exchanges between Vietnam and Russia, conveying Vietnam's important message of pursuing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance and resilience, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, strengthening ties with neighbouring countries and major partners, and making active contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, he said.
As a proactive and responsible ASEAN member, and one of Russia's most trusted comprehensive strategic partners in the region, the Vietnamese delegation has taken a proactive and active role in shaping a more stable, balanced and sustainable strategic environment in the region.
At the summit, the Vietnamese leader shared Vietnam's objective and insightful assessments of regional and global developments, as well as issues that ASEAN and Russia should address together. His message that Vietnam consistently supports dialogue, cooperation, trust-building, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for international law, while emphasising that these fundamental principles and values should guide relations among nations, was widely welcomed by fellow leaders.
Vietnam has played an important role in repositioning ASEAN–Russia relations to become more strategic, resilient, substantive and better aligned with the interests of both sides. Its proposals to enhance ASEAN–Russia cooperation in support of peace, stability and development across the two regions received strong backing from participating leaders, Trung said.
In particular, Vietnam's initiative to advance ASEAN–Russia cooperation in energy helped elevate the partnership by adding a new strategic and long-term dimension to bilateral cooperation, he noted, adding that its proposals to strengthen Eurasian connectivity are expected to create greater value and deepen practical and mutually beneficial linkages between ASEAN and Russia.
PM Hung took the occasion to announced that Vietnam will host the ASEAN–Russia Young Diplomats Summit in 2027, underscoring the country's commitment to engaging the next generation and fostering greater trust and closer ties between the two regions, the FM said.
According to the the FM, Vietnam is proud to have helped translate the partnership's cooperation potential into tangible benefits for people and businesses of the two sides. Drawing on the respective needs, strengths and complementarities of ASEAN and Russia, PM Hung put forward a range of practical proposals, including new initiatives such as establishing an ASEAN–EAEU business dialogue, creating digital platforms to connect businesses, developing interregional multimodal transport corridors and digital logistics maps, and further facilitating trade.
The PM also proposed strengthening cooperation on resilient agricultural supply chains, including establishing priority mechanisms for supplying fertilisers, animal feed ingredients and agricultural technologies, to enhance the resilience and sustainable development of ASEAN's agricultural sector, including that of Vietnam.
FM Trung said the summit demonstrated Vietnam's readiness to serve as a bridge in advancing trade and investment cooperation between ASEAN and Russis, towards translating cooperation potential into concrete projects, connectivity into business opportunities, and mutual trust into a new driver of growth, thereby contributing to fostering a more comprehensive and substantive ASEAN–Russia partnership.
Regarding the meeting between PM Hung and Russian President Vladimir Putin, FM Trung said the Russsian leader held an extensive discussion with the Vietnamese government leader, underscoring Russia's special regard for Vietnam as well as its commitment to strengthening engagement with ASEAN, while helping deepen mutual understanding.
The productive talks with President Putin during the visit built on Vietnam's active diplomatic efforts to further strengthen political ties, creating fresh momentum for elevating the Vietnam–Russia relationship across all areas in the new era, and advancing the implementation of high-level agreements reached following Party General Secretary To Lam's official visit to Russia in May 2025 and his phone talks with President Putin immediately after the successful conclusion of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in January 2026.
The two sides reaffirmed that they attach special importance to consolidating their high-level political trust and are determined to reposition and comprehensively elevate Vietnam–Russia relations to meet the modernisation needs in each country in the new historical period.
According to the FM, the two sides reaffirmed six key directions for advancing bilateral ties in the next phase, including strengthening political trust as the foundation of the relationship; maintaining defence and security cooperation as a strategic pillar; dentifying cooperation in energy, oil and gas, and nuclear power as strategic breakthroughs; fully tapping potential for stronger trade, investment and economic cooperation; promoting practical collaboration in mining, shipbuilding, railway modernisation and transport connectivity; and deepening cooperation in science and technology, education, and training.
The two leaders agreed that Vietnam–Russia relations are on the right track and have delivered notable results. Political cooperation has remained highly dynamic, with frequent exchanges of delegations at all levels and through various channels to chart major directions for expanding cooperation across all fields. Defence and security cooperation has continued to deepen and has been implemented robustly. Meanwhile, economic ties have gained momentum, with bilateral trade maintaining a positive growth trend.
Energy cooperation has emerged as a highlight, marked by the signing of an agreement to build the Ninh Thuan 1 nuclear power plant. The landmark project represents a new symbol of Vietnam–Russia relations and lays the foundation for the development of Vietnam's nuclear industry.
The two sides also reached important agreements on oil and gas exploration and production in both Vietnam and Russia, while actively negotiating the expansion of cooperation into new areas, including clean and renewable energy, oil and gas trade, LNG, and the development of energy storage infrastructure in Vietnam.
Cooperation in science and technology, education and training, transport, culture, and tourism has also produced encouraging results, as the two sides are working to establish a network of digital research and development centres and implement joint scientific research projects.
The two sides agreed to effectively implement existing mechanisms and agreements across key areas, including politics, defence and security, energy and oil and gas, nuclear power, and other sectors. PM Hung and President Putin shared the view that these frameworks should serve as an important basis for guiding and overseeing the implementation of bilateral cooperation projects, while ensuring that obstacles are addressed promptly to deliver more substantive and effective outcomes.
Notably, under the strong direction of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, PM Hung and other senior Vietnamese leaders, many longstanding bottlenecks in bilateral cooperation have been resolved, creating favourable conditions for the two countries to advance joint projects, particularly in priority sectors, and laying a solid foundation for long-term Vietnam–Russia cooperation, the FM said.
The bilateral engagements with Russia on the sidelines of the ASEAN–Russia Commemorative Summit, particularly the talks with President Putin, underscored the strong commitment of the two countries' senior leaders to repositioning and elevating the Vietnam–Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the new era, while deepening the bilateral ties.
FM Trung said the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit reaffirmed the importance, vitality and strategic significance of ASEAN–Russia relations amid growing uncertainties and complexities in the regional and global landscape.
The in-person participation of most ASEAN leaders and Russian President Putin, eight years after ASEAN and Russia elevated ties to a strategic partnership in 2018, together with the strong commitments made at the meeting, underscored the high importance both sides attach to the relationship, and considered this as a key platform for advancing dialogue and cooperation, strengthening strategic trust, and contributing to peace, stability and development in the two regions.
The summit established a strategic framework and direction for ASEAN–Russia relations, paving the way for a qualitative upgrade in the bilateral cooperation, he said, noting that the Kazan Declaration 2026 set out the strategic framework and principles guiding ASEAN–Russia cooperation, while the ASEAN–Russia Action Plan 2026–2030 translated orientations into concrete priority areas, implementation measures and cooperation mechanisms.
Notably, the joint statement on energy cooperation elevated energy to a new pillar of the partnership, addressing the urgent need to strengthen energy security while supporting the long-term cooperation priorities between the two sides, he added.
According to the official, for the first time, ASEAN and Russian leaders held a dedicated discussion on Eurasian integration, sharing a common vision for a broader and longer-term framework for cooperation.
The outcomes of the summit underscore a clear shift in ASEAN–Russia cooperation towards a more substantive, focused and implementation-oriented partnership, helping strengthen the position of both ASEAN and Russia, while contributing to peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world, he said.
Overall, PM Hung's participation in the summit, together with his bilateral engagements in Russia, was highly successful, Trung said, showing his belief that with close coordination and strong consensus among ministries, sectors and localities, the common perception reached by the two countries' senior leaders will be effectively translated into concrete actions, further deepening the Vietnam–Russia partnership in a more substantive and practical manner, while delivering tangible benefits to people and businesses.- (VNA/VLLF)
