Loyalty

(Baonghean)The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has just successfully concluded his visit to the Russian Federation at the invitation of President V. Putin.

From a “Strategic Partnership” in 2001 to a Joint Statement in 2012, it has been elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. That is the overall outcome of the visit.

In all the meetings, contacts, and exchanges between our President and top officials of the Russian Senate, the State Duma (Lower House), the Russian Prime Minister, and former Russian officers and scientists who had fought and worked in Vietnam, as well as in the official talks with Russian President V. Putin, there was one very impressive, extremely close, and touching detail: The highest leaders of the Russian Federation and our Russian friends all acknowledged and highly appreciated Vietnam's loyalty to the Russian Federation (as well as to the Soviet Union). They considered Vietnam to be the most loyal friend of the Russian Federation.



President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin welcomes President Truong Tan Sang of Vietnam.

Our nation lives by the principle of "drinking water, remembering the source." Loyalty is an expression of this principle of righteousness and affection. The Party, the State, and the people of Vietnam will forever be grateful to V. Lenin, the October Revolution of Russia, and the Soviet Union for their contributions to the Vietnamese revolution, to the cause of liberation, and to the building of the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland. Under the brilliant light of V. Lenin's thought and the great October Revolution of Russia, Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh found the revolutionary path for Vietnam.

The Soviet Union's historic victory in World War II created a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for the success of our country's August Revolution of 1945, leading to the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The immense spiritual and material support from the Soviet Union and other fraternal socialist countries contributed greatly to Vietnam's victories in the two sacred wars of resistance, as well as in peacetime construction and the current process of reform. The loyalty of the former Soviet Union to the present-day Russian Federation is not only a sentiment but also a strong character, not only a heart but also an intellect; not only a friendship but also unwavering commitment to oneself: unwavering commitment to the path that President Ho Chi Minh pointed out, the path chosen by our Party and nation. Unwavering commitment to that single, correct revolutionary path, remaining loyal to the interests of the country, the rights of the people, and to friends near and far.

Vietnam is ready to befriend all countries on the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit. This friendship is absolutely free from self-interest and selfishness; it does not abandon old friends for new ones, nor does it seek short-term gains. Recalling nearly a few decades ago, when we began the process of international integration, immediately after a visit to several Nordic countries, our high-level state delegation visited Cuba. Our Cuban friends highly appreciated this visit and said: “Vietnam has gained many new friends, but has not forgotten its old ones.” That is the loyalty and devotion of Vietnam. Whether a country is large or small, near or far, strong or weak, old or new, we remain loyal to all. That is the loyalty of Vietnam.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a true Russian, embodying the quintessential characteristics of the Russian people: kindness and loyalty. Even when he was only temporarily appointed President in 2000, he made no secret of his clear and reasonable loyalty to the Soviet homeland that had nurtured him. He frankly declared: "Anyone who does not regret the collapse of the Soviet Union has no heart..." He resolutely supported the use of the Soviet national anthem in the new Russian national anthem. He stated frankly: "If we erase everything that existed before and after October 1917, it means we acknowledge that our ancestors lived a completely meaningless life. With all my heart and mind, I cannot agree to that."

That is probably why President V. Putin, Russian leaders, and our Russian friends highly appreciate Vietnam's loyalty.

With hearts and minds, emotions and reason, the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation, and between the Russian Federation and Vietnam, has become even more steadfast in pursuing the ideals they have defined, remaining loyal to their homeland and people, and remaining loyal in a sober and rational way to their glorious past. From there, both Vietnam and the Russian Federation, in their loyal friendship, move towards the future for the prosperity of each country and the happiness of both nations: Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

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* Quoted from "V. Putin's Road to the Kremlin," People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2001.

Truong Cong Anh