Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a series of agreements today with his Vietnamese counterpart Thom Lam, during a state visit to that country where he arrived after visiting North Korea.
The visit comes as Moscow seeks to strengthen its ties in Asia and break through growing international isolation over its military operations in Ukraine.
Russia and Vietnam signed agreements on improving cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, oil and gas research and health. They also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam.
After the talks, Putin said that the two countries share an interest in the "development of a reliable security architecture" in the Asia-Pacific region based on the non-use of force and the peaceful resolution of disputes where there is no room for "closed military-political blocs".
Vietnam's new president, To Lam, congratulated Putin on his re-election and praised Russia's "domestic political stability".
Putin arrived in Hanoi early this morning from North Korea where he and the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, signed an agreement pledging mutual aid in the event of war.
This afternoon, local time, Putin went to the presidential palace of Vietnam where he met with the Lama.
He will also meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh later today, as well as Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam's most powerful politician, and Parliament Speaker Tran Tan Man.
Russia wants to maintain "close and effective cooperation" in the fields of energy, industry, technology, education, security and trade, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko said yesterday, official Vietnamese media reported.
Putin's recent visits to China and now to North Korea and Vietnam are efforts to "break through international isolation," said Nguyen Kak Giang, an analyst at the Institute in Singapore.
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