MOSCOW, Oct 27: Russia and Vietnam on Monday signed oil and gas deals after trade talks in Moscow between the countries’ presidents, as part of a broader effort by Russia to regain Soviet-era influence in the region.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hailed growing economic ties between the two countries and said he hoped trade could grow almost seven-fold to $10 billion (eight billion euros) in the coming years.

“We secured important agreements in a number of spheres... above all in fuel and energy,” Medvedev said at a joint Kremlin press conference with Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Minh Triet after the trade talks.

Among the deals signed was an agreement between Russian state energy companies Gazprom and Zarubezhneftegaz and Vietnamese company Petrovietnam to develop energy fields off the coast of Vietnam.

The companies also formed a new energy joint venture, Gazpromviet.—AFP