Vietnam attends ER Party’s Congress

Moscow, June 28 (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation led by Pham Xuan Son, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, is attending the second phase of the 15th Congress of the United Russia (ER) Party from June 26-28. The congress brought together about 3,000 delegates and guests from 29 international delegations. In his opening remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the congress is a political event of special significance to not only the ER Party but Russia at large. Within the framework of the event, there was a round-table workshop on opportunities and challenges facing the world in 2016, where various political and security issues were discussed. Speaking at the workshop, Chairman of the ER Supreme Council Boris Gryzlov acknowledged the presence of representatives from political parties and friends worldwide at the congress, regarding this as their cooperation with and support for the ER Party on the threshold of the election to the State Duma. ER leaders stressed that Vietnam is Russia’s comprehensive strategic partner and the first country outside the region to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union. They noted their hope that the FTA, once operational, will help boost economic and trade ties between Vietnam and the union. Regarding territorial disputes in the East Sea, ER leaders called on concerned parties to increase dialogues and settle the conflicts by peaceful measures and on a basis of international law. In his speech at the workshop, Son gave a brief on situations in the world and the Asia-Pacific region, recent developments in the East Sea as well as Vietnam’s stance on handling such disputes. He suggested Russia plays a more active role in preventing challenges and pushing back risks, helping build an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability and prosperous development./.