Russian President Vladimir Putin is of the view that the creation of a free trade zone between the Russian-led Customs Union member countries and Vietnam will contribute to the doubling of the Russia-Vietnam goods turnover by the year 2015.   

On the eve of his official visit to Vietnam on Tuesday, Putin wrote an article for several Vietnamese media. 

In the article, the Russian leader notes that the turnover between the two countries increased by 20 percent last year and reached $3.66 billion, Interfax news agency reports.

“[But] it is envisioned to reach the $7 billion mark in 2015, and $10 billion in 2020,” the article reads, in particular.  

Putin stressed that, “The resolving of this matter would directly contribute to the signing of an agreement on creating a free trade zone between the Customs Union countries and Vietnam.”    

To note, following the talks that were held on September 3 in Moscow between Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin, Sargsyan had announced that Armenia plans to join the Customs Union and subsequently engage in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union. Aside from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan likewise are members in the Customs Union. And in response to this development, the European Union had stated that the signing of the Armenia-EU Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement is now doubtful.