General Secretary and President To Lam meets Vietnamese community in Russia

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam, his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation met with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Russia in Moscow on September 7 (local time) as part of his state visit to Russian at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee and President To Lam and his spouse meet with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Russia in Moscow on September 7, (Photo: VNA)

At the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi said the Vietnamese community in Russia is a united community that always looks toward the homeland. The Russian federal and local authorities have consistently paid attention to the community and created favourable conditions for Vietnamese people living and working in the country. The Union of Vietnamese Associations in Russia has also become a social organisation representing the community's interests and providing care and support for its material and spiritual well-being.

Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi noted that despite complex and unpredictable developments in the regional and global situation, cooperation between Viet Nam and Russia has continued to be strengthened. High-level visits have been maintained on a regular basis, while trade has expanded and tourism and people-to-people exchanges have continued. A number of major, symbolic cooperation projects have also been signed.

He said General Secretary and State President Lam's visit to Russia is expected to provide fresh impetus to bilateral cooperation across all areas, bringing practical benefits to the two countries and their peoples, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Do Xuan Hoang, Chairman of the Union of Vietnamese Organisations in Russia, reported on the Vietnamese community in Russia, saying that Vietnamese people in Russia are fully aware that every action and deed of each community member contributes to shaping the image of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. Accordingly, they encourage one another to respect the culture, customs and social life of the host country, make contributions to local communities, and at the same time preserve the Vietnamese language, culture and fine national traditions. The community strives to build a united yet open community, integrate without losing its identity, and pursue success alongside a strong sense of responsibility.

From Russia, Vietnamese people continue to look toward Viet Nam with confidence, pride and high expectations, sharing the joy of the country's great and historically significant achievements in national renewal, construction and defence, as well as in enhancing Viet Nam's position and prestige in the international arena, he added.

Speaking at the gathering, General Secretary and President Lam praised the Vietnamese Embassy and other representative agencies for successfully fulfilling their role as representatives of the Vietnamese in Russia, as well as serving as a bridge to bring Vietnamese people together and strengthen solidarity within the community.

Briefing the community on the situation at home, he said Viet Nam is setting ambitious development targets, including achieving annual double-digital growth, promoting all-round development and striving to become a high-income country, while continuously improving the people's living standards and quality of life.

The leader affirmed that the Party and State always attach importance to caring for and better protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the Vietnamese community abroad, while creating conditions for overseas Vietnamese to maintain increasingly close ties with their homeland.

In particular, the Politburo recently issued Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs, he said, emphasising that in the time ahead, the Party and State will continue to improve institutions, and adopt comprehensive, open and breakthrough mechanisms and policies to connect with, attract and effectively mobilise the resources of overseas Vietnamese, particularly intellectuals, experts, entrepreneurs, scientists and young people.

On that basis, he called on overseas Vietnamese to strongly embrace the spirit of Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW and take a more proactive and substantive role in national construction and development, as well as in safeguarding the Fatherland from an early stage and from afar.

The Vietnamese community in Russia should continue upholding the tradition of solidarity, mutual affection and support; actively integrate into the host society and strictly abide by local laws; and build a Vietnamese community that is civilised, dynamic, responsible and rich in national identity, he said.

The General Secretary and President expressed his hope that Vietnamese scientists, experts and intellectuals in Russia, drawing on their knowledge, experience and valuable networks of cooperation, will continue to promote creativity, mettle and a strong sense of responsibility, serving as pioneers in connecting knowledge, science and technology and developing new cooperation initiatives.

He urged Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Russia to continue serving as key drivers of economic, trade and investment cooperation, strengthening business-to-business links between the two countries and helping expand cooperation into new areas that match the development potential and needs of both Viet Nam and Russia.

For the younger generation, he called for them to nurture their aspirations, pursue learning, master new knowledge and confidently integrate into the world, writing a new chapter in Viet Nam-Russia friendship in the 21st century with their intellect, openness, talent and sense of responsibility.

The Party and State leader asked Vietnamese representative agencies in Russia to continue renewing their thinking and improving the quality of research, forecasting and strategic policy advice. He urged them to make greater efforts to implement agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries, thereby deepening the Viet Nam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership across all fields.

He also called on them to continue supporting the Vietnamese community and its associations, further improve citizen protection efforts, firmly strengthen the great national unity bloc, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese people in Russia, particularly the younger generation, to make active contributions to national development and defence.

NDO