Last Friday, Da Nang People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho warmly received the Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Viet Nam, Mr Konstantin Vasilievich Vnukov, and the Russian Consul General, Mr Brovarets Andrei Petrovich.

Chairman Tho (right) and Russian diplomat Vnukov

During his meeting with the city chief, the Russian diplomat Vnukov invited the city leaders to attend the 23^rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which is slated to take place on 6-8 June 2019 in order to appeal for Russian businesses to invest in the city.

Mr Vnukov expressed his delight at the fruitful results from the bilateral cooperative programmes with Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole. The most vivid evidence was the recent State visit to Russia made by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nguyen Phu Trong. During the visit, the leaders of the countries witnessed the signing of many cooperative agreements between the two countries.

The Russian ambassador, however, emphasised the bilateral cooperative relationships with some Russian localities has yet to fully tap the great potentials and expectations of the two sides. Therefore, he stressed the need for the two sides to make even more efforts to fully tap their cooperative potential.

In reply, Chairman Tho confirmed Da Nang would participate in the forthcoming SPIEF. He also remarked this event would be a good opportunity for Da Nang to meet with Russian investors and appeal for them to invest into the city’s top priority aspects such as high-tech, information technology, manufacturing industry, services, tourism and trade.

The city chief also asked for help from the two Russian diplomats to assist his city to connect with some Russian localities, with a focus on boosting the bilateral cooperative relations with GAZ Group and ANEX Tour, in the coming time.

During their meeting, the host and his Russian guests agreed that Da Nang would faciliate the Consulate General of Russia in Da Nang to organise activities to mark the 25^th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on fundamental principles of the Viet Nam-Russian Federation friendly relations in 2019, and the 70^th anniversary of Viet Nam and Russia diplomatic ties in 2020.

In another reception on the same day for Mr Yoshikuni Watanabe, Mayor of Japan’s Kisarazu City, Chairman Tho introduced his guest to his city’s socio-economic achievements and its future development strategies.

Chairman Tho (4th right) and Japanese Mayor Watanabe (4th left)

Mr Tho noted that Japan ranked 1^st first in terms of investment capital, and 2^nd in the number of FDI projects, in Da Nang. The city has already established cooperative ties with many Japanese localities.

The city chief also said he would like the Japanese guest to do his utmost to boost the bilateral cooperative programmes in the aspects of hi-tech, human resources training, and urban management.

For his part, Mayor Watanabe remarked Japan was facing a low birth rate and aging population, so the country is in need of nurses.

He, therefore, urged the Da Nang authorities to train local nurses to send them to his country in order to meet growing demand of Kisarazu City, and Japan as a whole.

He added Da Nang and Kisarazu shared many similarities in their plans for promoting the development of tourism, and exchanging culture, and education.