Viet Nam, India accelerate strategic partnership

PM Nguyen Tan Dung made the statement on August 25 at his reception for Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.

Applauding the talks held by the two Ministers, PM Dung said he expressed hopes that the Indian Minister’s visit will made crucial contributions to the two nations’ traditional and strategic partnership.

Photo: VGP

Minister Sushma Swaraj revealed that the Indian Government respects the cooperation with Viet Nam, hoping that Viet Nam will increase its status in the world.

She also conveyed Indian PM Narendra Modi’s invitation to PM Nguyen Tan Dung to pay an official visit to India in the next October to discuss measures to increase bilateral relations and also announced that the Indian PM will officially visit Viet Nam in September.

India highly valued Viet Nam’s national security and defense status, said Ms. Sushma Swaraj, expecting that Viet Nam will become a partner of India in this area.

In terms of economics, trade and investment, the Minister hoped that the two sides will accelerate  bilateral investment and trade, the progress of the Free Trade Agreement negotiations and soon launch a direct flight between the two nations.

She said that top Indian businesses show interest in investing in large infrastructure projects in Viet Nam as well as reach cooperative deals with Viet Nam on  tra fish, corn and rice production.

The two nations need to boost up exchanges, especially cultural exchanges, to promote mutual understanding, she added.

On the East Sea issue, Ms. Sushma Swaraj said that at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Myanmar, India opposed the use or threat to use force in international conflicts and supported the settlement of conflicts by peaceful measures, based on international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.

Appraising Minister Sushma Swaraj’s opinion to enhance the two nations’ relationship, PM Dung agreed with the proposals of the Minister and asserted that Viet Nam expects to promote the strategic partnership with India, ranging from  politic-diplomacy, economic, trade, investment, security-defense, education-training, to science-technology, culture and people-to-people exchange.

He also affirmed that Viet Nam advocates the India’s Look East Policy and the relations between India and the ASEAN nations.

He spoke highly of India's achievements, its status in the world and its contributions to the regional and international peace, stability, cooperation and development.

(Source: VGP)