General Secretary and President exchange congratulatory letters with Russian President Putin

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the "Treaty on the fundamental principles of friendly relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Russian Federation" (June 16, 1994 - June 16, 2024), on June 16, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President To Lam exchanged congratulatory letters with President Vladimir Putin; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh exchanged congratulatory letters with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulates Russian President Putin at the Special Session 1280.jpg — General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: VNA

In the letter, the leaders of the two countries affirmed that the Treaty on the Fundamental Principles of Friendly Relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Russian Federation is a historical document of great significance, symbolizing the beginning of a new stage in the development of multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation, creating the premise for bringing the relationship between the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Over the past 30 years, generations of leaders and people of the two countries have made constant efforts to foster a strong friendship, consolidate and promote comprehensive bilateral cooperation in all fields, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The two leaders expressed their belief that the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty will open a new stage of development, with an increasingly high level of trust, substance and effectiveness between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also exchanged congratulatory letters with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The “Treaty on the Basic Principles of Friendly Relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Russian Federation” was signed by the two countries on June 16, 1994. This is a legal document replacing the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Soviet Union and Vietnam signed in 1978, defining new principles for Vietnam-Russia relations.

These are: Respect for national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity; non-interference in each other's internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit. Since this historic moment, Vietnam - Russia relations have begun to make positive progress, increasingly being raised to new heights in quality.

The event considered the first milestone in the development of Vietnam - Russia cooperation relations was the official visit to Vietnam by Russian President Putin (March 2001), with the two countries signing the Joint Declaration on Vietnam - Russia strategic partnership. Russia is the first country with which Vietnam signed a declaration establishing a strategic partnership.

The two countries decided to elevate their partnership by establishing a new framework of cooperation, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in July 2012. This framework has created new momentum for the Vietnam-Russia relationship to develop in all areas.