Vietnam-India strongly promote strategic partnership

On the morning of August 25, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Ms. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Foreign Affairs of India, who is on an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj who is on an official visit to Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Highly appreciating the results of the talks between the two countries' Foreign Ministers, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that the results of this visit will be a very important contribution to promoting the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam's consistent policy is to do its utmost, together with India, to promote the long-standing, fine traditional friendship in the spirit of strategic partnership in all fields, bringing practical benefits to the people of the two countries, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also thanked India for its great support and assistance to Vietnam in the past struggle for national independence and reunification, as well as in the present-day construction and protection of the country.

At the reception, Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the new Indian Government affirmed its importance to cooperation with Vietnam and believed that Vietnam has an increasingly important position in the world.

Ms. Sushma Swaraj also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to officially visit the Republic of India in early October to discuss major directions in bilateral relations.

Ms. Sushma Swaraj said that this visit by the Indian Foreign Minister, the visit of the Indian President to Vietnam in September this year and the visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister to India next October have shown the extent of the relationship between the two countries and India's respect for Vietnam.

Believing that the potential between the two countries is still huge, Ms. Sushma Swaraj suggested that both sides make efforts to enhance cooperation in all fields. India highly appreciates Vietnam's security and defense position and hopes that Vietnam will become India's partner in this field.

Regarding economic, trade and investment cooperation, the Minister hopes that both sides will promote to increase the volume of bilateral investment and trade by 2 to 3 times the current level. Both sides need to speed up the progress to soon conclude the negotiations of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA); promote the airlines of both sides to soon open direct flights between the two countries.

The Minister also said that leading Indian businesses are very interested and want to participate in investing in large infrastructure projects in Vietnam and India also wants to reach cooperation agreements with Vietnam in the fields of catfish farming, corn and rice production. In addition, the two countries also need to promote exchanges, especially youth exchanges and cultural exchanges to enhance understanding between the people of the two countries.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Ms. Sushma Swaraj said that at the recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Myanmar, India clearly expressed its opposition to the use or threat of violence in international disputes; at the same time, strongly voiced its support for resolving disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Welcoming and appreciating the opinions of Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to promote bilateral relations in all fields, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung agreed with the proposals of Minister Sushma Swaraj; at the same time, affirmed Vietnam's desire to strongly promote the strategic partnership with India in all fields such as politics-diplomacy; economics, trade, investment; security-defense; education-training; science-technology; culture; people-to-people exchange...

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam warmly welcomes the Indian President to visit Vietnam in September this year, and also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting the Vietnamese Prime Minister to officially visit India, considering these events extremely important to bring the Vietnam-India strategic partnership to new heights.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam supports India's Look East policy as well as the increasingly good relations between India and ASEAN countries.

The Prime Minister also congratulated the great achievements of the Indian people and India's growing position in the international arena, and India's contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

According to Vietnam+