In the context of developing the overarching strategic partnership between Russia and Vietnam, on February 17–18 in Hanoi, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, bilateral high-level anti-corruption consultations took place at the initiative of the Vietnamese Communist Party’s Central Committee.
Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Communist Party and Vietnamese Government Inspector General Le Minh Khai and Chief of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Directorate Andrei Chobotov discussed topical aspects of anti-corruption cooperation.
The parties thoroughly reviewed the long-established and new legislative and practical approaches to minimising incidents of corruption in public administration. The experience accumulated to date in the area of the Russian-Vietnamese anti-corruption cooperation allowed the parties to start developing and implementing a range of initiatives aimed at improving the methods and forms of control over the government officials’ wealth status and spending, as well as at recovering corrupt officials’ property as the state’s revenue.
The parties reached a preliminary agreement with regard to organising coordinated anti-corruption efforts (research, practical measures and public events) and possible involvement of representatives of several other concerned countries. Following the consultations, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding between the national anti-corruption bodies of the two countries for 2020‒2025.
The relevance of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, including in the area of combating corruption, as well as the agreements reached by the parties were reaffirmed during a working meeting between the Russian delegation led by Andrei Chobotov and Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Vietnam’s representatives demonstrated interest in expanding the scope of industry-specific and regional cooperation, and readiness to intensify this cooperation.
During the visit, the Russian delegation also held consultations with the senior officials of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Council. The meetings focused on the prospects of anti-corruption cooperation and professional training in this area at the regional level, as well as promoting the partnership between the Russian regions and the provinces of Vietnam in political, economic and social spheres.
The participants enjoyed a constructive and trust-based environment during the talks. The bilateral events attracted close attention of the Vietnamese public and were widely covered by the national media. Following the talks, Andrei Chobotov invited Le Minh Khai to pay a return visit to Moscow.