Vietnam, Russia pledge to deepen bilateral ties

HANOI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam and Russia signed multiple cooperation documents and agreed to further deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership on Thursday during Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency reported.

During the visit, Putin talked with his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam and both witnessed the signing of the multiple bilateral cooperation documents in the fields including education and judiciary.

At a press briefing, Lam said both sides had agreed to further enhance high-level exchanges and promote bilateral trade and investment, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

On Thursday, Putin also met and talked with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Tran Thanh Man, respectively.

For his part, Putin said at the press briefing that the Russian side attaches great importance to further strengthening the Russia-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership, according to the Kremlin on Thursday.

Before his Vietnam visit, Putin also paid a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), during which the two countries signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

According to the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, hailed Putin's visit as a "significant strategic move."