Vietnam attaches special importance to developing cooperation with India, considering it one of the priorities in the country’s foreign policy.

 

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the affirmation while receiving Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, in Hanoi on January 6.

 

PM Dung stressed that Vietnam will do its utmost, together with India, to deepen the two countries’ strategic partnership.

 

He expressed his wish that the two sides will speed up the implementation of cooperative programmes, especially in economics, trade and investment.

 

The Government leader affirmed that Vietnam supports India’s “Look East” policy and is willing to serve as a bridge for India to strengthen and expand cooperation with other ASEAN countries.

 

Ahamed who is on a working visit to Vietnam on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties and five years since establishment of strategic partnership between the two countries, affirmed that India wants to develop comprehensive relations with Vietnam. He asked the Vietnamese Government to create favourable conditions for Indian firms to do long-term business in the country.

 

He suggested the two sides increase the exchange of delegations at all levels in order to strengthen the friendship, cooperation, mutual trust and understanding between the two peoples. 

 

*** On the same day, a ceremony was held in Hanoi to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties (January 7) and the 5th anniversary of the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

 

Addressing the function, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance and giving priority to developing the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with India.

 

He expressed his pleasure that since its establishment in 2007, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has been developed in a practical and efficient manner on the basis of key pillars – politics, national defence and security, economy and trade, culture and human resource training.

 

He expressed his belief that the two sides will further boost those ties for the benefits of the two peoples and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

 

Minister of State E. Ahamed said that in recent years, economic and trade relations have developed rapidly and the two countries have set a target of US$7 billion in bilateral trade turnover by 2015.

 

In addition, relations between the two countries in many other fields, including agriculture, science and technology, education and resource development are also expanding. Cooperation in national defence and security between the two sides are also seeing strong development.

 

Recently, India set up a human resource centre for information and communication technology sector in Hanoi, with an investment of US$2 million.

 

The minister said that in 2012, India plans to double scholarships for technical and economic cooperation for Vietnam from 75 to 150, set up an English language centre in Hanoi and a vocational training centre in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

*** The Vietnamese Embassy in India organised a solemn ceremony in New Delhi on January 6 to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties.

 

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Tan said that the traditional friendship between Vietnam and India, which was initiated by President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and fostered by successive generations of the two countries’ leaders and people, has been developing fruitfully.

 

The two countries’ coordination at regional forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the East Asia Summit (EAS) has also contributed to strengthening bilateral ties and consolidating peace, security, stability and development in each nation as well as in the region and the world, he added.

 

Indian Deputy Foreign Minister Sanjay Singh spoke highly of Vietnam’s dynamic development, affirming that India grants Vietnam a special position in its “Look East” policy.

He expressed his hope that the Vietnam-India traditional friendship will continue to grow and flourish in the future, adding that Indian companies are interested in investing in various fields in Vietnam.

 

(VOV/VNA)