WNAM REPORT: The working trip on October 23-24 by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam to attend the expanded BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chair of BRICS 2024, is a success, contributing to promoting solidarity for addressing common challenges.
This is the first time a Vietnamese PM has attended the BRICS Summit, and the first trip of PM Chinh to Russia in his new capacity, demonstrating Vietnam’s role and responsible contributions to multilateral mechanisms, contributing to promoting and deepening cooperation between Vietnam and Russia, and other countries.
Five connections for peace and prosperity
The BRICS Summit and the expanded BRICS Summit brought together leaders from 36 countries and territories, along with representatives from 6 international organisations. Dozens of other related events were also held in Kazan within the framework of the summits.
The Vietnamese government leader had a packed schedule with 25 different activities within just nearly 40 hours in Kazan, concluding his trip with a successful talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 24 evening.
PM Chinh’s attendance at the expanded BRICS Summit demonstrates the spirit of cooperation, as well as the responsibility, role, and position of Vietnam for global issues. In his speech at the expanded BRICS Summit, the PM highlighted a global, people-centred, and comprehensive approach, while advocating multilateralism, international solidarity, and the establishment of a world order based on rules and sharing common responsibilities to address unprecedented challenges.
He proposed five strategic connections, which are connections of resources, connections in strategic infrastructure, connections of global supply chains, people-to-people connections, and connections in the reform of global governance mechanisms towards greater linkages, balance, equality, efficiency, inclusivity, and comprehensiveness for fast and sustainable development.
On the sidelines of the expanded BRICS Summit, the Vietnamese leader held bilateral meetings with over 30 heads of delegations and leaders of countries and international organisations.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, during the meetings and interactions with PM Chinh, leaders of countries and international organisations spoke highly of Vietnam’s achievements in socio-economic development and national defence and security, and its increasing position on the international stage. They expressed the respect for and desire to further strengthen multifaceted relations with Vietnam.
PM Chinh and leaders of countries and international organisations agreed to prioritise enhancing delegation exchanges at all levels and expanding cooperation in economics, trade, and investment. They affirmed their commitment to intensifying collaboration in terms of defence, security, education and training, labour, science and technology, culture, people-to-people exchanges, and new cooperation fields such as digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, and knowledge economy.
Stronger connections through ups and downs
During the first trip to Russia in his new position, PM Chinh held talks and meetings with leaders, as well as ministers and heads of major corporations of Russia, especially his success talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the meetings, the two sides touched upon a wide range of substantive cooperation topics aimed at further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.
According to Son, senior leaders of the two countries reaffirmed that the long-standing traditional friendship between Vietnam and Russia serves as a crucial foundation for the comprehensive strategic partnership to continue to develop strongly, benefiting the people of both countries and contributing to peace and development cooperation in the region and the world.
The two sides agreed to enhance bilateral relations in terms of politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, science – technology, innovation, green transition, digital transformation, education -training, culture, and tourism.
The two sides approved a cooperation plan until 2030, agreed to improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, fully take advantage of the Vietnam – Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (VN-EAEU FTA), continue to effectively implement important projects, and expand investment cooperation, especially in infrastructure and energy.
The Russian side pledged to maintain the provision of 1,000 scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in Russia.
Meeting representatives of the Vietnamese community in Russia, PM Chinh affirmed that the cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Russia is continuous, comprehensive, holistic, and profound across all fields. Through the ups and downs of history, the spirit of solidarity between the two nations has always been preserved and promoted in any circumstances, becoming a legacy built and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries.
Through PM Chinh’s working trip, Vietnam demonstrates its role and responsible contributions in multilateral mechanisms, reaffirming its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations; and deepening relations for peace, cooperation, and development of each country, and in the region, and the world.
