Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is on a three-day visit to Vietnam starting on Sunday, has defined the prospects for cooperation between Russia and the Southeast Asian country.

PM Medvedev highlighted those prospects in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency ahead of his official visit to Vietnam.

He stressed that Russia wishes to cooperate with countries in the Asia-Pacific region and directly with Vietnam, adding that Moscow currently has many ideas and plans to crank up its strategic partnership with Hanoi to a new height.

He also expressed his hope that the meetings between the two sides during his visit will yield practical results.

Regarding the Russian-Vietnamese cooperation in offshore development on Vietnam’s continental shelf, PM Medvedev said it has been progressing very well and illustrates the two countries’ mutually beneficial cooperation.

Russia’s Zarubezhneft and Vietnam’s PetroVietnam have come to terms on continuing this cooperation until 2030, the Russian premier said. Other Russian companies, such as Rosneft and Gazprom, also have their own partners in Vietnam and they have been negotiating their cooperation agreements, he added. Rosneft has projects for a set of offshore blocks that can be offered for development, PM Medvedev said, adding that talks are ongoing and he hopes they will have a positive outcome.

At the same time, Gazprom has been engaged in negotiations with its Vietnamese partners since 2009, he said.

When asked for comment on the prospects for bilateral cooperation in science and technology, the visiting Russian leader said the cooperative relation between the two countries has been proven throughout many decades.

He said he never forgets a meeting with some Vietnamese officials who had studied in the Soviet Union or Russia.

“What was important is not just our friendship, but also the fact that our Vietnamese friends had gained their knowledge and experience in the Soviet Union or Russia, and are now applying them in ways beneficial to Vietnam,” PM Medvedev said.

He added that Russia is ready for any form of cooperation with the Southeast Asian country, and Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant is a good example of the use of high technology.

Russia is a world leader in the nuclear industry and nuclear power, but such a complicated facility requires qualified personnel for the sake of safe and secure operations, the Russian leader said.  

This is why Russia is training Vietnamese personnel, including those at the Moscow Nuclear Research University and other facilities, he said, adding that he considers this a shining example of bilateral cooperation and hopes that he will see many similar examples in the future. When asked how to reverse the trend of the number of Russian tourists to Vietnam having plummeted by 40 percent from the beginning of 2015, PM Medvedev said the situation will improve in the future.

“The current decline is due to economic difficulties and problems with the value of the rouble, but it is not serious. In 2014, the number of Russian tourists [to Vietnam] increased by over 30 percent. Even though it has decreased this year, it wasn’t a plunge but a return to the 2013 level,” he said.

The Russian leader said that Russians love spending their vacations in Vietnam, which is an interesting nation with an ancient culture and many fascinating holiday destinations.

When asked to share his Vietnam-related impressions as he has visited the country several times, PM Medvedev answered, “It’s always good to visit your country because I can see it developing and changing.”

Alongside the modern, fast-developing, and energetic Vietnam that is emerging as one of the leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, there is an ancient Vietnam with special history and culture, he said.

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