Party leader leaves Hanoi for Russia, Belarus

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee (CPVCC) Nguyen Phu Trong left Hanoi on November 22nd for official visits to Russia and Belarus from November 23rd -28th.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA)

The visits, made at the invitations of Russian President V. Putin and Belarusian President A. Lukashenko, aim to bolster the bilateral traditional friendship and cooperation.

He is accompanied by Ngo Van Du, Politburo member, CPVCC Secretary and head of the CPVCC Commission for Inspection; Tran Quoc Vuong, CPVCC Secretary and head of CPVCC Office; Hoang Trung Hai, CPVCC member, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Cooperation Sub-committee; Pham Binh Minh, CPVCC member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign, among others.

Vietnam and Russia have seen a rapid development in bilateral relations in recent years, with their comprehensive strategic partnership growing deeply and effectively in a number of fields.

The two countries enjoy a high level of political trust. Two-way trade reached almost USD4 billion in 2013, and exceeded USD1.8 billion during the first eight months of this year.

Russia is currently running 92 investment projects in Vietnam, with a combined capital of USD2.05 billion. It ranks 18th amongst the 101 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam is operating 17 projects worth USD2.5 billion in Russia with a focus on oil and gas, as well as banking and trade.

Vietnam and Belarus enjoy a sound and time-honoured friendship and cooperation, with political ties growing continuously.

Two-way trade reached USD152 million in 2013, with Vietnamese imports totaling USD138.3 million.

The two countries see prospects for cooperation on labour export. As many as 600 Vietnamese nationals live in Belarus.

(Source: CPV)