Putin receives Vietnamese foreign minister in Kremlin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin received Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung in the Kremlin on Tuesday.

Opening the meeting, Putin praised the bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Our bilateral relations are developing positively, trade turnover is growing. We have a substantive, open dialogue in all areas, including the political component," he said.

Putin added that during a recent phone conversation with To Lam, he "congratulated him on his re-election to the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam."

"We see that the work carried out by the entire Vietnamese leadership and the General Secretary enjoys the support of the Vietnamese people. We are happy about all your successes," the Russian president stressed.

Trung, who arrived in Moscow as a special envoy, said: "For the first time, the General Secretary of the Central Committee is sending a special envoy to the Russian Federation to inform about the results of the (party's) 14th Congress. This shows the special attention paid to our traditionally friendly relations."

He noted that Russia has achieved high results "in socio-economic development, ensuring national defense, as well as securing an important role and position on the international arena."

"It is very important for us that our bilateral relations are developing very well, we have good political trust between our countries, and our relations are developing in all directions," Trung noted.

He added that the party and the state consider relations with Russia to be strategic and have long-term prospects.

Earlier in the day, Trung met with several senior Russian officials and lawmakers.