Moscow (VNA) - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam held a meeting with Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matvienko in Moscow on September 8 (local time).
Expressing her pleasure at meeting General Secretary and President To Lam again, Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko stressed that the Federation Council has always held Vietnam in special regard as a traditional and trusted friend and one of Russia’s important partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
She affirmed that her council strongly supports the continued strengthening and development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries across all fields.
She congratulated Vietnam on the achievements it has made in all areas under the leadership of the CPV, headed by General Secretary and President To Lam, as well as on the contributions of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA).
The Federation Council Chairwoman congratulated Vietnam on successfully organising the elections of the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 term.
She briefed her Vietnamese guest on the implementation by the Federation Council and the Vietnamese NA of commitments and agreements reached at the highest level, as well as the orientations set out by General Secretary and President To Lam during his meeting with the Federation Council in May 2025.
In particular, the two legislative bodies have coordinated in exchanging legislative experience and promptly ratified documents between the two countries, thereby facilitating the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields, she stated.
General Secretary and President To Lam thanked Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko and the Federation Council for the warm and respectful reception accorded to the Vietnamese delegation. He emphasised that Vietnam always attaches importance to and gives high priority to its traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.
He expressed his wish to continue promoting the valuable ties that generations of leaders and people of the two countries have worked hard to cultivate, bringing bilateral relations into a new stage of increasingly substantive, profound and effective development.
Both sides expressed their pleasure to see that political relations between the two countries enjoy a high level of trust, with regular high-level and all-level delegation exchanges and contacts maintained through various channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges, creating a favourable foundation for promoting comprehensive cooperation.
General Secretary and President To Lam appreciated the role and positive contributions of Russia’s Federation Council and Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko personally in promoting bilateral relations. He also spoke highly of the results of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries and proposed that both sides continue to increase exchanges between leaders of the two legislatures, specialised committees, friendship parliamentarians’ groups, young and female parliamentarians, while sharing experience in legislation, oversight and decision-making on important national issues.
The top Vietnamese leader proposed that the two legislative bodies continue to play their role in improving a favourable legal framework for bilateral cooperation; and strengthen oversight of and urge the implementation of agreements reached by the senior leaders and Governments of the two countries, thereby helping translate political commitments into concrete programmes, projects and cooperation outcomes.
Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko affirmed that the Federation Council stands ready to work closely with the Vietnamese NA and make positive contributions to implementing orientations and agreements reached by the senior leaders of the two countries.
Affirming that local-level cooperation is an area with considerable room for development and can help deepen bilateral relations, the two leaders agreed that both sides should effectively promote established local partnerships while actively connecting for establishment of new pairs of partner localities. They encouraged local leaders and businesses of the two countries to increase direct exchanges to identify specific projects suited to each side’s potential and needs, particularly in trade, investment, tourism, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko affirmed that the bonds between the Russian and Vietnamese people have been built over many generations and should continue to be passed on to younger generations. She supported increased cultural, educational, tourism and youth exchanges, as well as efforts to promote the teaching and learning of Russian in Vietnam and Vietnamese in Russia.
Noting that Vietnam is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for Russian people, she said the two countries still have significant potential to further enhance cultural and tourism cooperation, thereby promoting people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation.
The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen coordination at regional and international parliamentary forums, agreeing to continue consultations, coordination and mutual support within multilateral parliamentary mechanisms, contributing to the promotion of dialogue, cooperation, peace, stability and sustainable development.
General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed Vietnam’s support for enhancing the role of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting dialogue, building trust and fostering cooperation among nations. He expressed his wish that the two legislatures continue to coordinate closely and make positive contributions to advancing Vietnam–Russia relations as well as to addressing regional and international issues on the basis of respect for international law.
On the occasion, the top leader of Vietnam conveyed greetings and an invitation from National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man to Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko to pay a visit to Vietnam at the end of this year. The Chairwoman expressed her readiness to coordinate with the State Duma in welcoming NA President Man at a mutually convenient time./.
