Putin hails Vietnam's success in handling Covid-19 crisis

During a phone talk with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong on Thursday, Putin thanked Vietnam for lending a helping hand to Russia in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation to deal with the global crisis and continue to provide timely support to citizens of each country.

Vietnam has confirmed 332 Covid-19 infections so far. Of this, 321 have recovered after treatment, with no deaths recorded.

Last April, Vietnam gifted Russia 200,000 antibacterial masks to assist the nation's ongoing Covid-19 fight and repatriated 345 of its citizens stranded in Russia, the world's third largest Covid-19 hotspot with over 511,000 infections and 6,715 confirmed deaths, only after the U.S. and Brazil.

Around 400 Russian citizens stuck in Vietnam amid travel restrictions were brought home on special flights arranged by the Russian government.

Party Chief and President Nguyen Phu Trong, who made the call to congratulate President Putin and the Russian people on the occasion of Russia Day (June 12), expressed his sympathies for the losses caused by Covid-19 to Russia and hailed the country's drastic measures and contributions to the international community’s fight against the crisis.

As both nations are jointly celebrating many important events, including 70 years of diplomatic ties, both leaders agreed to maintain frequent contact at all levels and coordinate to organize activities within the Vietnam-Russia Cross Year 2019-2020.

They also stated that defense, security and energy are important pillars for bilateral cooperation, agreeing to further tighten links in these fields.

Vietnam and Russia have long cooperated in hydrocarbon exploration and extraction, with firms like Vietsovpetro, Rusvietpetro, VietGazprom and Gazpromviet at the forefront of such projects.

Both top leaders agreed to continue supporting and encouraging their countries’ oil and gas companies to take part in new projects in Vietnam and Russia.

They will also further facilitate trade and investment partnerships and optimize the free trade agreement between Vietnam and Eurasian Economic Union, in which Russia is a member, to soon raise bilateral trade to $10 billion while creating optimal conditions for the countries to develop their economies and address consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.