Russia's Putin in Vietnam calls for strengthening "strategic
partnership"
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[June 20, 2024]
By Khanh Vu and Minh Nguyen
HANOI (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a state
visit to Vietnam on Thursday that strengthening strategic ties is "one
of his priorities" as he continued a swing through Asia seen as a show
of defiance.
A day after signing a mutual defence agreement with North Korea, Putin
said Moscow and Hanoi wanted to build what he called a reliable security
architecture in the Asia-Pacific region. He also said Russia was keen to
expand investment in energy in Vietnam.
While the "comprehensive strategic partnership" Putin spoke of is the
same agreement Vietnam has with the United States and China, his visit
has drawn criticism from Hanoi's Western partners, who have protested
that he should not be given a stage on which to defend Russia's ongoing
war in Ukraine.
Putin was welcomed in Hanoi with a 21-gun salute during a military
ceremony on Thursday, as he was praised by one of the Communist-run
country's top leaders.
The ceremony is reserved for the highest heads of state and was also
rolled out when U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi
Jinping visited Vietnam last year.
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President To Lam congratulated Putin on his re-election and praised
Russia's achievements, including "domestic political stability", as the
two met in Hanoi.
"Once again, congratulations to our comrade for receiving overwhelming
support during the recent presidential election, underlining the
confidence of the Russian people," Lam said
The two presidents witnessed the exchange of 11 agreements and
memorandums of understanding, including deals on oil and gas, nuclear
science and education.
Putin also said he respected dialogue with the regional bloc, the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in which he said Vietnam played
an active role.
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![](../images/062024PIX/news_r34.jpg)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks to Vietnam's President To
Lam during an official visit at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi,
Vietnam June 20, 2024. NHAC NGUYEN/Pool via REUTERS
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Putin, who arrived in the early hours on Thursday, is on the final
stop of his two-nation tour of Asia after concluding the defence
pact with North Korea. Putin has also visited China since he was
sworn in for a fifth term in May.
U.S., EU CRITICISMVietnam's hosting of Putin was criticised by key
partner the United States, which upgraded diplomatic relations with
Hanoi last year and is Vietnam's top export market, and the European
Union.
A U.S. embassy statement earlier in the week said no country should
be giving Putin a platform to promote Russia's war in Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the EU delegation in Vietnam said Hanoi had the
right to develop its own foreign policy, but said Russia's war in
Ukraine proved Moscow did not respect international law.
Russia was hit with U.S.-led Western sanctions after it invaded
Ukraine in February 2022 in what Moscow calls a "special military
operation". In March 2023, the Hague-based International Criminal
Court's issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes
in Ukraine, charges he denies.
Neither Vietnam nor Russia are members of the ICC.
(Reporting by Minh Nguyen, Phuong Nguyen, Khanh Vu; Writing by Ed
Davies and Kay Johnson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, John Mair)
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