Vietnam to Host Putin in Nod to Old Ties, Risking Ire of West
Editor
19 June 2024 21:39 WIB
HISTORICAL TIES
Vietnam will be the third country Putin has visited, after China and North Korea, since he was sworn in for a fifth term in May. He has traveled abroad little since the ICC warrant was issued.
Vietnam was gearing up for a full state welcome for Putin, his first visit since 2017 and his fifth in total.
The countries have historically close ties and shared Communist roots. Tens of thousands of cadres studied in the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, including the current head of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong.
"President Vladimir Putin is a person who has made many contributions to Vietnam-Russia relations. He always has good feelings and concern for Vietnam and values relationships with Vietnam's senior leaders," Ministry of Defence newspaper Quan Doi Nhan Dan said in an article.
Key partner the United States, which upgraded diplomatic relations with Hanoi last year and is Vietnam's top trading partner, opposed Putin's visit.
"No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities," a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said this week.
'BAMBOO DIPLOMACY'
Still, Vietnam has its reasons to risk the ire of other diplomatic partners with the visit, said Ian Storey, senior fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
"Hanoi wants Putin to come for several reasons," Storey said. "First, to demonstrate that Vietnam pursues a balanced foreign policy that does not favor any of the major powers."
Vietnam pursues what it calls "bamboo diplomacy", maintaining good relations with world powers, despite those powers' animosity toward one another.
Noting that U.S. President Joe Biden visited Vietnam followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping a few months later, "Putin's visit will complete leadership visits by the 'Big Three'," Storey said.
Russia has historically been Vietnam's major military supplier, so announcements of any arms deals will be closely watched
Putin is also expected to announce agreements in sectors including trade, investment, technology and education, two officials told Reuters this week, although that was subject to change.
Early on Wednesday, Vietnam announced it wants Russian state oil firm Zarubezhneft to invest in green energy in the country
REUTERS
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