RUSSIA REGARDS VIETNAM AS A STRATEGIC PARTNER IN THE WHOLE OF ASIA








HANOI, MARCH 1, 2001. /From RIA Novosti Special Correspondent Marianna Shatikhina/.  Russia regards Vietnam not only as a reliable partner in South-East Asia, but also as a strategic partner in the whole of Asia, said President Putin of Russia speaking at a reception given in his honour by President Tran Duc Luong of Vietnam.


	Noting that the Russian and Vietnamese people were together in the most difficult times -- during the period when Vietnam was struggling for its independence and rehabilitating its war-ravaged economy -- Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia is sincerely proud of the Vietnamese people's achievements. Today the real possibility exists not only to preserve cooperation at its present-day level, but also to create a sound basis for its development in the 21st century.


	Before the reception the President of Vietnam presented a Ho Chi Minh Order to Vladimir Putin and Orders of Friendship to Vice-Premier of the Russian Federation Viktor Khristenko and to Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov.