ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit concludes successfully with positive and comprehensive outcomes: FM Le Hoai Trung
The World and Vietnam Report is pleased to present an interview with Politburo Member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung regarding the outcomes of the ASEAN-Russia 35th Anniversary Summit.
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| Politburo Member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung. (Photo: Bao Chi) |
Could you share your assessment of the Summit's outstanding achievements? What specific contributions did the Vietnamese delegation make to the success of this ASEAN-Russia Commemorate Summit?
At the invitation of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and the high-level Vietnamese delegation attended the ASEAN-Russia 35th Anniversary Summit held in Kazan, Russian Federation, from June 17-18.
This trip holds significant importance as it marks the first visit to Russia by Vietnam's key leaders following the success of the 14th National Party Congress and the National Assembly session, which elected key leadership positions.
The Prime Minister's participation in the ASEAN-Russia 35th Anniversary Summit was highly successful, contributing to strengthening relations between ASEAN and Russia, Vietnam's comprehensive strategic partner, thereby demonstrating Vietnam's active support for Russia and ASEAN-Russia relations.
The trip also highlighted Vietnam's positive role in enhancing ASEAN's central position in the region, while promoting high-level bilateral exchanges and conveying Vietnam's important message of pursuing an independent, self-reliant, resilient, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy, fostering relations with neighboring countries and major partners, and contributing positively to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and globally.
It can be affirmed that the ASEAN-Russia 35th Anniversary Summit has concluded successfully, with numerous positive and comprehensive outcomes.
Firstly, the Summit reaffirmed the strategic significance and vitality of ASEAN-Russia relations amid complex international and regional developments. The direct participation of most ASEAN leaders and President Putin, eight years after ASEAN-Russia relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2018, along with strong commitments at the summit, demonstrate the high regard both sides have for this relationship, viewing it as a key channel for promoting dialogue and cooperation, building strategic trust, and contributing to peace, stability, and development in both regions.
Secondly, the Summit established a strategic framework and orientation for ASEAN-Russia relations in the new phase, particularly creating a qualitative shift in bilateral cooperation. The Kazan Joint Declaration 2026 outlined the strategic framework and major principles for bilateral cooperation, while the ASEAN-Russia Action Plan 2026-2030 concretized directions with priority areas, solutions, and implementation mechanisms.
Notably, the Joint Declaration on Energy Cooperation introduced energy as a new pillar of cooperation, addressing urgent energy security needs while serving the long-term cooperation needs of both sides.
Thirdly, for the first time, ASEAN and Russian leaders held a separate session on Eurasian integration, sharing a vision for a broader and longer-term cooperation space. Based on assessments of potential and complementarities between ASEAN and the Eurasian space, particularly in markets, energy, logistics, minerals, science, and technology, countries proposed numerous initiatives to more effectively exploit frameworks such as ASEAN-EAEU cooperation, ASEAN-SCO cooperation, cooperation with Central Asia, and Eurasian transport corridors.
With the significant outcomes achieved at this summit, it can be said that ASEAN-Russia cooperation is moving strongly towards more substantive, focused, and clearly implemented mechanisms, enhancing the positions of ASEAN and Russia while contributing to peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and globally.
As an active, responsible ASEAN member and a leading comprehensive strategic partner of Russia in the region, the high-level Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung made significant contributions to the summit's outcomes, leaving a remarkable impression.
Firstly, we proactively and actively contributed more to creating a stable, balanced, and sustainable strategic environment. In his speeches at the summit, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung shared Vietnam's profound, objective assessments of regional and international situations and issues that ASEAN and Russia need to address together.
The Prime Minister's message of a Vietnam that always emphasizes dialogue, cooperation, trust-building, peaceful dispute resolution, adherence to international law, and these core principles and values as a common approach among nations was highly appreciated by leaders.
Secondly, we played a crucial role in repositioning ASEAN-Russia relations to be more strategic, resilient, substantive, and aligned with both sides' interests. Vietnam's proposals to promote ASEAN-Russia relations to contribute more effectively to maintaining a peaceful, stable, cooperative environment for development in both regions were strongly supported by summit participants.
Notably, the initiative to promote ASEAN-Russia energy cooperation contributed to elevating the relationship, adding strategic and long-term content to bilateral cooperation.
Additionally, measures to enhance Eurasian connectivity increased the value and practical benefits between ASEAN and Russia.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister also announced that Vietnam will host the ASEAN-Russia Young Diplomats Summit in 2027, demonstrating significant interest in the next generation, thereby enhancing and fostering trust and further connecting the two regions.
Thirdly, we proudly contributed to transforming cooperation potentials into tangible benefits for the people and businesses of both sides. Based on cooperation needs, potentials, and strengths of ASEAN and Russia, the Prime Minister proposed numerous specific, practical measures, including new directions such as establishing ASEAN-EAEU business dialogues and online platforms linking businesses from both sides, developing inter-regional multimodal transport corridors and digital logistics maps, and facilitating trade.
Proposals for adaptive agricultural supply chain cooperation, establishing priority mechanisms for fertilizer, animal feed raw materials, and agricultural technology supply also aim to support ASEAN and Vietnam's agriculture sectors in enhancing resilience and stable development.
Through this Summit, we can confidently say that we are ready to play a bridging role, promoting trade and investment cooperation between ASEAN and the Russian Federation in the future, thereby turning potential into specific projects, connections into business opportunities, and trust into new growth drivers, further contributing to the comprehensive and substantive development of bilateral relations.
Besides attending the Summit, this trip also recorded a meeting between the Prime Minister and President Putin – the first contact in the current capacity. What important and meaningful outcomes did this meeting achieve for Vietnam-Russia relations?
Although this was a trip to attend a multilateral Summit, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and the high-level Vietnamese delegation dedicated significant time to bilateral activities, discussing with the Russian side specific directions and measures to implement high-level agreements.
Leaders of ministries and sectors also had meetings with Russian counterparts to discuss and implement commitments between the two countries. The Russian side extended a very special welcome to the Prime Minister and the high-level Vietnamese delegation. President V. Putin spent considerable time discussing with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, demonstrating Russia's special regard for Vietnam and ASEAN, thereby enhancing mutual understanding.
The effective meeting with President Putin during this visit is a continuation of positive foreign activities aimed at continuously elevating political relations to create momentum for promoting and elevating Vietnam-Russia relations comprehensively in the new era, implementing high-level agreements reached after the historic official visit to the Russian Federation by General Secretary To Lam (May 2025) and the phone call between General Secretary To Lam and President Putin immediately after the success of the 14th Party Congress (January 2026). The visit to Russia achieved particularly important results, prominently reflected in the following key points:
Firstly, both sides affirmed the special importance of consolidating high-level political trust, determined to reposition and continue elevating Vietnam-Russia relations comprehensively to meet modernization needs in each country during the new historical period. Six major directions for developing Vietnam-Russia relations in the new phase were affirmed by both sides, including (i) Using political trust as a foundation; (ii) Considering defense-security cooperation as a strategic pillar; (iii) Identifying energy, oil, and nuclear power cooperation as strategic breakthroughs; (iv) Maximizing potentials to enhance economic-trade, investment cooperation; (v) Promoting effective cooperation in mining, shipbuilding, railway modernization, and transport connectivity; (vi) Strengthening cooperation in science, technology, education, and training.
Secondly, both leaders agreed that Vietnam-Russia relations are on the right track with outstanding results. Political cooperation is highly dynamic with regular exchanges of delegations at all levels and channels to set major directions for promoting relations in all fields.
In the first five months of 2026 alone, there have been numerous Vietnamese government delegations visiting Russia, and in the second half of 2026, many key Russian leaders are expected to visit Vietnam. Defense-security cooperation is continuously strengthened and vigorously implemented. Economic cooperation between the two countries is promoted with trade turnover maintaining a positive growth trend.
Energy cooperation is a highlight with the signing of the Agreement on the construction of the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant, a project of historical significance, a new symbol in Vietnam-Russia relations, laying the foundation for the development of Vietnam's nuclear industry.
Both sides have also reached important agreements in the field of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in Vietnam and the Russian Federation, actively negotiating to explore the possibility of expanding cooperation in new fields such as clean energy, renewable energy, oil and gas trade, LNG, and building energy storage infrastructure in Vietnam.
Cooperation in science-technology, education-training, transportation, culture, and tourism has achieved encouraging results. Both sides are promoting the establishment of a network of digital research and development centers, implementing joint scientific research projects.
Thirdly, both sides agreed to actively and effectively implement existing mechanisms and agreements in political, defense-security, energy-oil, nuclear power, and other fields. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and President Putin both agreed that this should be an important basis for guiding and overseeing the overall implementation of bilateral cooperation activities and projects, promptly resolving obstacles to develop relations substantively and effectively.
Notably, under the decisive direction of General Secretary, President To Lam, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and senior Vietnamese leaders, many obstacles and bottlenecks in the relationship have been resolved and cleared, creating favorable conditions for both sides to continue implementing cooperation projects, especially in key areas, paving the way for long-term cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation.
Bilateral activities with Russia on the occasion of attending the ASEAN-Russia 35th Anniversary Summit, with the highlight being the meeting with President Putin, affirm the determination of the high-level leaders of both countries to position and elevate the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Russia in the new era, increasing the depth of bilateral relations and cooperation.
In the coming time, the government will continue to closely monitor and specifically direct the implementation of the agreements reached, especially ministries, sectors, and localities need to internalize the spirit and common understanding of continuously innovating thinking in cooperation with Russia, building action plans, and taking specific measures to seize and leverage cooperation potentials between the two countries in all fields, contributing to the modernization and development of each country, meeting the practical needs and aspirations of the people of both countries, for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and globally.
It can be said that the participation in the ASEAN-Russia 35th Anniversary Summit and bilateral activities with Russia by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung was a great success. The mission demonstrated very positive content, resolving many issues to steer the relationship in the right direction, achieving outstanding, positive results, and effectively promoting the implementation of mechanisms and agreements, especially in trade, energy, education-training...
We can fully trust that with the consensus and close coordination between ministries, sectors, and localities, the common understanding between the high-level leaders of both countries will be concretized and effectively implemented, bringing the relationship increasingly into depth, substance, and providing practical benefits to the people and businesses of both sides.
