Russia, Vietnam Agree on Withdrawal

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 28, 2002

Russia, Vietnam Agree on Withdrawal

Russia and Vietnam will sign an agreement in the next few days for Russian forces to complete their pullout from a naval base in Vietnam by July, a senior official said Wednesday.

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Russia and Vietnam will sign an agreement in the next few days for Russian forces to complete their pullout from a naval base in Vietnam by July, a senior official said Wednesday.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov announced the timetable for the withdrawal from the Cam Ranh Bay base after talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

He said Russia wants to continue military ties with Vietnam, its former Cold War ally, and is willing to help modernize Vietnam's mainly Soviet-equipped army by selling it weapons and other equipment.

Kasyanov said the two countries will sign an agreement on Russia's withdrawal in the next few days, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported. He stressed that the base's closure did not indicate Russian interest in Vietnam was waning, it said.

Russia announced last year that it would withdraw from Cam Ranh Bay before its lease on the base expires in 2004. It has already begun to leave the deep-water port, used by American forces during the Vietnam War.

Vietnamese Defense Minister Pham Van Tra said last week that the base will not be leased to any other country and will be used by Vietnam's military following Russia's departure.

Kasyanov's three-day visit will focus on capitalist trade and investment rather than communist ties since the two countries no longer share a common political ideology.

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