Russian PM optimistic about future of Russia-Vietnam relations

HO CHI MINH CITY, April 7. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev considers it largely symbolic that a Russian government delegation has travelled to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City ahead of celebrations to mark 40 years since the fall of the old Southern capital and the reunification of Vietnam. "We thought it would be right if a delegation from Russia visited Ho Chi Minh City for the 40th anniversary of Vietnam's reunification [celebrated on April 30]," Medvedev said on Tuesday at a meeting with Le Hoang Quan, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. On Monday, Medvedev held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung in capital Hanoi. The two prime ministers witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements, including a plan to implement some 17 joint investment projects. "I hope that all of these plans will be fulfilled, whether these are equipment supplies, aircraft supplies, opportunities for launching industrial assembly of Russian motor vehicles, or promoting railway vehicle manufacturing," Medvedev said. The Russian government said Medvedev’s visits to Vietnam and Thailand were aimed at "fulfilling" President Vladimir Putin’s earlier statements on the importance of expanding Russian presence in South East Asia, considering the potential of its market. "This is in fact the fulfilment of our corresponding strategy [on developing relations with Asia Pacific countries] and those decisions that we took and announced while participating in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation [APEC] forum," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko told journalists. Medvedev will finish his South East Asian trip on Wednesday, April 8, visiting Thailand’s capital Bangkok. Read more