Stormy summer's tumultuous week

The political events of the outgoing week resembled thunderstorms, winds and downpours in the western regions of the country. In May-June, we were literally flooded with news that seemed unlikely a year or two ago.

As the latest statements by the head of state, events and decisions have shown, Russia has risen to a new stage of transformation without a pause. What happens and how to digest this flurry of changes? In particular, on the "external contour" of the country, as it is now customary to say, the UtroNews correspondent reports.

Visits by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the DPRK and Vietnam show that foreign policy is aimed at strengthening the country's security and sovereignty. Independence in decision-making, independence in affairs and the desire to rely on their capabilities were clearly manifested when Putin, after 24 years, arrived on a state visit to Pyongyang.

DPRK and regional security

Russia and the Primorsky Krai of the Far Eastern region border North Korea. Passenger railway communication has been restored between the countries. The combined gauge of 1435/1520 mm is being reconstructed from the Khasan checkpoint in Russia to the Korean port of Rajin, where a modern multimodal transshipment terminal has been built.

This is a project of strategic importance for Russia, which gains access to ports that, in particular, can serve coal supplies to China.

The organization of tourist flow along this route with the continuation deep into the northern part of the Korean Peninsula is beneficial to the North Korean side. Tourist flows can be trilateral in nature and include China as a country continuing or starting the route.

The development of the Russian-DPRK railway communication is directly related to the development of economic interaction between the parties, is important for the supply of fuel and food to North Korea, as well as the creation of infrastructure related to ensuring the security interests of the parties.

Pyongyang signed a "truly breakthrough document" prepared before the visit, a new interstate "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement" with tasks for the long term in all areas, including security. With this step, the parties restored the line of communication, which was part of bilateral relations, starting in 1961.

"This powerful treaty between the two countries - the DPRK and the Russian Federation - is nothing more than a document of a very constructive, promising, exclusively peaceful and defensive nature, designed to protect and defend the main interests of the peoples of the two countries," Kim Jong-un said on this occasion, applying the words "great interstate treaty" to the Treaty.

The document provides, among other things, for the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the participants. Putin added that he does not exclude the development of military-technical cooperation with the DPRK. He said that Pyongyang has the right to take reasonable measures to strengthen its own defense capability, ensure national security and protect sovereignty.

The leaders had plenty to talk about when they retired. Moscow and Pyongyang agree on assessments of threats to regional security and are able to complement each other's efforts to protect national interests. The threat to these interests comes from the United States and the Republic of Korea, as well as Japan - Washington's allies. They are responsible for escalating tensions, expanding military infrastructure in the Northeast Asia region (NVA), the scale and intensity of military exercises threatening the DPRK.

As a result, by providing a neighboring country with guarantees in case of aggression, Russia is regaining its status in the NVA region, lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the degradation of ties with an important regional ally. The DPRK has received both recognition of its regional role and guarantees that it will not be left alone with the combined forces of the United States, South Korea and Japan.

The increase in the level of regional predictability and stability as a result of the conclusion of the RF-DPRK Treaty should also be assessed in Beijing, from where Pyongyang has received political and economic support for decades. Coincidentally, in the days when Putin was in the DPRK, Vladivostok was the center of inter-party interaction between countries and BRICS partners. The Chinese delegation was headed by Liu Jianchao, head of the International Relations Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Vietnam: Trade and investments

The state visit to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to Hanoi, the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) took place by the invitation of the secretary general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the country Nguyen Phú Trong. In the square in front of the residence of the head of the Vietnamese state the ceremony of an official meeting of Vladimir Putin with the president of Vietnam That Lahm was held.

Negotiations are held and the Joint statement on further deepening of comprehensive strategic partnership in the context of the 30 anniversary of implementation of the Russian-Vietnamese Contract on bases of friendship is adopted. A number of documents on bilateral cooperation is signed.

Vladimir Putin held negotiations with the prime minister of Vietnam Fam Min Tinem, the secretary general of the Central Committee of KPV Nguyen Foo Chongguom and the chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Chan Tkhan by Mang.

"Vietnam always regards Russia as one of priority partners of our foreign policy. Together with Russia we want to develop the relations of traditional friendship which were under construction many generations of heads and residents of our two countries. Economic cooperation is one of the most important support of comprehensive strategic partnership.

We agreed to involve the maximum potential of the Agreement on the free trade zone between Vietnam and EurAsEC. … We will increase trade, bilateral investments. Also we will increase efficiency of projects of cooperation in the sphere of power, in the gas sphere to create favorable conditions for work of our companies", Lahm said That.

Putin reminded that in 2025 "75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations will be celebrated.

"At the time the Soviet Union, as we know, made a lot of things to help the young Vietnamese state to stand, promoted creation of objects of economy, infrastructure, training, increase in defense capability of the state. Besides, literally 30 years from the date of signing of the Contract on bases of friendship between two countries the other day were executed. … Considerable attention, naturally, was paid trade investment to interaction", - Putin told.

The Russian president mentioned benefits which are brought by implementation of the Free-trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union at the expense of preferential terms of access of goods and services on the markets of each other, increase in investments, exchange of technologies and innovations. Putin also told about transition to national currencies in financial mutual settlements, credit and bank cooperation and a role in it the Vietnamese-Russian bank, about interaction in power, including a role in the oil and gas industry of Vietsovpetro joint venture.

The Russian companies "are ready to be connected as co-investors and suppliers to large-scale projects with use of liquefied natural gas", Putin offered, having added to it projects in the field of renewable power, the draft of the master plan of development of national power supply system of Vietnam, projects of the RusHydro and Rosatom companies.

Still perspective the president called a sea transport corridor Vladivostok – Ho Chi Minh, including the regular line of container transportations.

Communications have mutually advantageous character. The Vietnamese holding TH group builds the milk-processing enterprises in several Russian regions at once, including in the Kaluga region and Primorsky Krai. In Da Nang the GAZ — Tkhandat joint venture for assembly of automotive vehicles of the Russian brand GAZ works.

Moscow and Hanoi can resume negotiations on a subject of construction of the NPP in Vietnam, the head of Rosatom Likhachev said. He also told that the countries are at the first stage of implementation of the project of the Center of nuclear medicine and technologies, "we start this year a practical side".

Putin in Hanoi met graduates of the Soviet and Russian higher education institutions. The president said that Russia will promote further development of student's exchanges, declared that for the Vietnamese students next academic year one thousand budgetary places will be allocated.

Putin emphasized that positions of Russia and Vietnam on international issues in many respects coincide or are close. "Our countries firmly defend the principles of supremacy of international law, sovereignty, non-interference to internal affairs of other states, coordinate efforts on key multilateral platforms, including in the UN and also within dialogue Russia ASEAN and at the East Asian summits", he told in conclusion.

Vietnam became the key country of ASEAN – regional group around which there was the whole complex of regional economic cooperation. For positions of Russia in the Pacific Rim (PR) trade with Vietnam and other countries of ASEAN is of particular importance.

Estimates of Russia and Vietnam provisions in the Pacific Rim bring together their leaders too. "We see in Vietnam the adherent in formation of new architecture of equal and indivisible Eurasian safety", Putin in article for the party newspaper Nyanzan noted.

Even somewhat similar

North Korea and Vietnam are different countries, but Putin somehow brought them closer, even invisibly united. Probably because he himself is from the Soviet Union. And this, already non-existent country in these different countries is equally remembered and honored. Post-Soviet Russia has finally vividly shown that it is also not a stranger to them.

If you look closely, it also resembles both Korea and Vietnam. It is similar to them in that the people of Russia are still divided, despite the successes of the SVO. Koreans decide about the future of Korea. Vietnam won its national unity. In an article for a Vietnamese party newspaper, Putin paid tribute to the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people with foreign interventionists.

I remembered Ukraine. Just like once in the south of Vietnam, the quasi-occupation, anti-people and cruel regime also de facto rules there. America and the West have taken their deep roots in human souls. How will the release of these people be accomplished? Many of them are accustomed to the fact that Moscow is their enemy. Perhaps this is how the inhabitants of Saigon once looked at their brethren from the North, who fought under the banners of Ho Chi Minh (translated as "Enlightener") for national liberation and unification of the country.