Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VOV)

The Foreign Affairs Committee of St. Petersburg physically and virtually held a meeting on January 30 to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Russia-Vietnam relations.

Addressing the function, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi affirmed that the Vietnam-Russia relationship has stood the test of time to develop positively over the past 73 years. Despite global political and economic changes in 2022, he said bilateral cooperation was strengthened in various key fields.

According to the ambassador, 2023 marks 100 years of Vietnamese president Ho Chi Minh’s arrival in St. Petersburg seeking ways for national salvation. The administration of St. Petersburg and Vietnamese authorities will erect a statue of President Ho in the city – a new symbol of the relationship between the two countries and two peoples.

In his remarks, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko noted Vietnam is always one of Russia’s closest and most reliable partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Bilateral cooperation in key fields has been maintained, and Vietnam remains Russia’s largest trading partner in ASEAN. Agreements reached through meetings and negotiations have created the prerequisite for the two countries to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Meanwhile, Evgeny Grigoriev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of St. Petersburg, said the meeting is part of the committee’s project to mark the 100th anniversary of President Ho’s arrival in Russia, and there will be many events to be organized by the city administration to mark the event.

He revealed both sides are making every effort to ensure the statue of President Ho Chi Minh will be inaugurated in June.

Vietnam and the former Soviet Union, now the Federation of Russia, established diplomatic ties on January 1, 1950.

Vietnam is currently Russia’s largest trading partner among ASEAN countries, accounting for one-third of Russia’s trade exchanges with Southeast Asian countries.

The import-export turnover between Vietnam and Russia in 2021 reached US$7.14 billion, up 25.9% compared to 2020 and ranked 21st among the main trading partners of the Russian Federation.

During meetings between the two countries’ leaders and officials, the Vietnamese side affirmed Vietnam attaches importance to the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia while, the Russian side stated that Vietnam is an important and priority partner in its foreign policy in Southeast Asia.