Meeting with VNA reporters in Moscow upon hearing the news of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's passing, First Vice President of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association Petr Tsvetov sent his deepest condolences to all Vietnamese people and all members of the Communist Party of Vietnam for this great loss.

Mr. Tsvetov reiterated that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a very prestigious Party leader who was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam three times. Previously, the General Secretary held high positions such as Chairman of the National Assembly. Regardless of his position, the General Secretary always devotes all his efforts to the goal of a prosperous people, a strong country, and a civilized and happy society.

As a long-time researcher of Vietnam, Mr. Tsvetov would like to mention General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong as a sharp theorist. With a profound knowledge and experience, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has made a great contribution to the theory of building socialism in Vietnam through his articles on the nature of the socialist revolution, on the renovation process, building a rule-of-law state in Vietnam, and on the bamboo diplomacy style. All of those articles, from the beginning until today, have long-term significance, serving as a theoretical basis for the Party and State of Vietnam on the path of development.

The outstanding legacy of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, according to Mr. Tsvetov, is the bamboo diplomacy - a very beautiful image to talk about the Vietnamese style in foreign affairs - strong roots, straight trunk and courage. Vietnam's foreign policy is based on the unshakable ideological foundation of protecting national independence, autonomy, and protecting the interests of the Vietnamese people domestically and internationally; flexible branches - depending on the international situation, Vietnam's policies adapt so as not to lose the fundamental values, while bringing benefits to the country and people. From an idea, bamboo diplomacy has now become a sustainable term, summarizing the diplomatic experience and international life that Vietnam has carried out for at least the past 30 years, since the Doi Moi. With ideas of 21st century significance, after President Ho Chi Minh and a few of his students, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has made great contributions to Vietnam's revolutionary theory. First Vice President of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association Tsvetov concluded that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is truly both a leader and a great theorist of the Vietnamese Revolution.

As a researcher and knowledgeable person about Vietnam, Mr. Tsvetov emphasized that the role of the leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam is of the utmost importance, having an impact on many institutions and social classes and always carrying a heavy responsibility in every step of the country's development. In Vietnam, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a highly prestigious Party leader, an intelligent and wise man, who makes decisions for the whole country. The meetings and talks between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and foreign leaders visiting Vietnam have made important contributions to the country's foreign affairs. Documents about the General Secretary's visits and meetings have been compiled into books, becoming valuable documents on Vietnam's foreign affairs activities.

Mr. Tsvetov shared that Russia is proud to be the place where General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong studied and defended his doctoral thesis at the Academy of Social Sciences of the Soviet Union. The good impressions from the years of living and studying in Moscow must have contributed to creating a General Secretary who deeply understands the role of Russia as well as the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam in the modern world. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has visited Russia many times, met and held talks with all the highest leaders of the State, Government and Parliament of Russia visiting Vietnam. Those meetings aimed to promote the development of bilateral relations between Russia and Vietnam, and the personal role of the General Secretary was clearly demonstrated.

The First Vice President of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association emotionally recalled General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's last visit to Russia in 2018. The General Secretary attended the ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association and awarded the association the First Class Labor Medal. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's speech at that ceremony left a strong impression on the audience when he emphasized the role of the relationship between the people of the two countries, the significance of people-to-people diplomacy, one of the three pillars of Vietnamese diplomacy along with Party diplomacy and state diplomacy. These three pillars were built in a balanced and equal manner in Vietnam, thanks to the wisdom of the leadership, the solidarity and support of society, and the contributions of each individual.

* On July 22, in an interview with a VNA reporter in Tel Aviv, Chairman of the Israel-Vietnam Friendship Association Eyal Buvilski expressed his deep condolences on the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He emphasized that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was a leader who devoted himself to the country, leading Vietnam to important economic achievements and strengthening its position in the international arena. During General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's tenure, relations between Vietnam and Israel improved, and the two countries made great strides in cooperation.

Mr. Eyal Buvilski shared that he lived in Vietnam from 2001 to 2003, when General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee. According to him, the Communist Party of Vietnam has set many development goals of "vision" and "dream". And up to now, after 20 years, it can be said that all "dreams" have come true, Vietnam has witnessed important economic achievements. He said that these results were achieved thanks to the contributions of the Communist Party of Vietnam in general and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in particular.