At the invitation of President Truong Tan Sang, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will pay an official to Vietnam on November 12, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

>> President Sang talks with Russian President’s envoy The visit is aimed to boost the all-around ties between the two countries, which established a strategic partnership in 2001 and upgraded the relationship to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership last year.

Fore the past years, both countries have effectively implemented the existing cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Vietnam-Russia Inter-governmental Committee on Economic, Trade and Scientific and Technological Cooperation, annual Strategic Dialogue on Diplomacy-Defense-Security, and regular political consultations between their Foreign Ministries. Vietnam and Russia have also strengthened bilateral political ties and mutual trust through regular reciprocal visits by high-ranking delegations.

Economic and trade cooperation between the two countries have developed well in the past several years, with two-way trade reaching US$3.2 billion in 2012, up 19.7 percent from 2011. This year the figures is expected to increase US$4 billion.

Vietnam mainly imports petrol, steel, fertilizers, machinery and equipment from Russia, while Vietnam’s key exports to Russia include garments and textiles, agriculture and aquaculture products. Besides boosting economic and trade ties, the two countries have also worked closely at international forums, especially at the United Nations and within the framework of regional forums, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and East Asia Summit (EAS).