Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and his Russian counterpart Maxim Akimov agreed that oil and gas cooperation bears strategic significance to Vietnam – Russia relations at their meeting on September 5 on the sidelines of the ongoing 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung (second from right) and Russian counterpart
Maxim Akimov (second from left) witness the signing of deals (Photo: VNA) 

The two officials took the occasion to exchange their opinions on the implementation of the two countries’ joint projects and agreements.

They shared the view that bilateral cooperation is going smoothly across all fields and highlighted the need for effective measures to capitalize on the potential of both countries and of the Eurasian Economic Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement toward realizing the 10-billion-USD bilateral trade goal in 2020.

Dung affirmed that Vietnam welcomes Russia’s oil and gas companies to carry out exploration and exploitation activities in the country’s continental shelf in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He asked the Russian Government to facilitate Vietnamese joint ventures’ involvement in new oilfields in Russia’s territory.

Both Deputy PMs reached consensus on the need to promptly remove difficulties arising in bilateral cooperation in traditional sectors and expand bilateral engagements to new potential areas like digital economy, e-government building, infrastructure development, and aviation.

They agreed to hold the 22nd meeting of the Vietnam – Russia Intergovernmental Committee in early October this year.

Concluding their meeting, the officials witnessed the signing of an MoU on cooperation between the Vietnamese and Russian construction ministries and another MoU between Vietjet Air and Russia’s Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) on the early opening of a direct air route between Vietnam’s Cam Ranh city and Russia’s Vladivostok city.