Russian expert appreciates Vietnam’s role, potential

The website of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) has recently run an article by Valeria Vershinina, an expert on Vietnamese studies, appreciating the role and potential of Vietnam in Russia’s foreign policy.

In her article, Valeria Vershinina, who is working at the Centre for ASEAN Studies under the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), wrote that Vietnam’s rapid economic development, its successful fight against COVID-19 and significant results of its foreign policy are increasingly attracting the attention of foreign scholars who have positioned the country as a ‘middle power’ and an influential international player whose opinions should be considered.

The year 2022 is especially important for Russian-Vietnamese relations, given that the countries are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the establishment of a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, she wrote.

According to her, Russian-Vietnamese relations have a rich and long history of development, and the status of a “comprehensive strategic partnership” reflects the multifaceted nature of bilateral cooperation and a high level of trust between the countries.

The expert also appreciated Vietnam’s economic development despite the turbulence of the world economy.

Vietnam has become one of the few countries that managed to maintain foreign economic activities and positive growth even in the face of a global pandemic and strict quarantine measures.

She cited various forecasts as saying that in 2022 Vietnam's GDP growth may range from 5.5% to 6.7%, which demonstrates the stability of the Vietnamese development model.

As an open economy, Vietnam actively exports its own products to world markets, ranking first in the export of cashews, second in coffee and rice exports. The country attracted 31.15 billion USD in FDI last year, and is currently participating in 17 trade agreements of various types.

In the international arena, the expert wrote, Vietnamese diplomacy has also achieved significant results. Vietnam successfully hosted the APEC leaders' summit in 2017, and the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and Head of State of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un in 2019. Notably, in 2020, Vietnam successfully assumed the role of ASEAN Chair, and launched a wide range of activities as the President of the UN Security Council in April 2021./.

VNA