Vietnam, Russia to bolster multifaceted ties
HANOI - Vietnam and Russia are actively seeking ways of broadening and deepening their friendly and cooperative ties in various spheres, the countries' prime minister said here Thursday.
"We have discussed measures to strongly develop the multifaceted relations on the strategic partnership basis.. The bilateral ties in such spheres as politics, economy, trade, investment and culture will be deepened and deepened," Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said at a press briefing after holding talks with visiting Russian counterpart Mikhail Fradkov.
Vietnam hoped to see stronger trade and investment relations with Russia, especially in the fields of high technology, machine production, urban transport and energy, Khai said, predicting that the two-way trade will increase to several billion U.S. dollars in the coming years from over 1 billion dollars in 2005.
The Russian government said it would give stronger financial assistance to Russian enterprises who have investment projects in Vietnam, he noted.
At the press briefing, Fradkov said Russia would like to expand its investment activities in Vietnam, especially in such industries as mining, machine production and hydroelectric development.
Vietnam and Russia inked two cooperation deals on Thursday, including an agreement on combating narcotics, and an amended protocol on training Vietnamese post-graduates in Russia.
Fradkov will meet with Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An on Thursday afternoon. He will fly to southern Ho Chi Minh City before concluding his two-day official visit on Friday afternoon.
Xinhuanet - February 16, 2006.
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