Indian President Ram Nath Kovind (Source: VNA)New Delhi (VNA) – The State visitto Vietnam by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind from November 18 to 20 is meantto help maintain the sound development trend of bilateral relations, a diplomathas said.
In an interview with Vietnam News Agency aheadof the trip, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau said this is areciprocal visit following a tour of India by then President Tran Dai Quanglast March.
During this visit, the two sides will review what they have and haven’tachieved so as to enhance connections. They will also discuss issues of commonconcern, especially regional and global matters, he said.
He noted that the political ties and trust betweenthe two countries have been increasingly strengthened through frequent mutualhigh-ranking visits, especially since they set up the comprehensive strategicpartnership in 2016, including the tour of Vietnam by Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi (September 2016), and the trips to India by Vietnamese NationalAssembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (December 2016), Deputy Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (July 2017), Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc (January 2018) and then President Tran Dai Quang (March 2018).
Delegation exchanges at all levels have alsobeen increased between their Parties, parliaments, defence ministries, courtsand localities. The countries have effectively brought into play dialoguemechanisms and implemented the signed agreements. They have organised strategicdialogues and political consultations at the deputy foreign ministerial levelevery year, the ambassador said.
Meanwhile, defence-security cooperation isviewed as an important and effective pillar of their comprehensive strategicpartnership, as reflected through regular mutual visits between militaryofficers and dialogues at the deputy defence ministerial level.
The defence forces of Vietnam and India are alsoworking closely in information sharing, personnel training and equipmentprovision. They have maintained dialogue mechanisms and stepped up cooperationin cyber security, counter-terrorism, capacity building, equipment procurementand technology transfer, as well as at regional forums like the ASEAN DefenceMinisters’ Meeting-Plus.
Defence cooperation has been lifted to thehighest-ever level, and India has become one of the most important defencepartners of Vietnam, Chau noted.
Aside from the sound relations inpolitics-diplomacy and defence-security, bilateral economic-trade partnershipshave enjoyed great strides in recent years, he said, elaborating that India hasemerged as one of the top 12 trade partners of Vietnam.
Bilateral trade soared by 41 percent from 5.6billion USD in 2016 to 7.6 billion USD in 2017. It hit 9.2 billion USD betweenJanuary and October this year, up 47 percent from a year earlier.
As of October 2018, India poured 876.73 millionUSD into Vietnam, ranking 26th among 127 countries and territories directlyinvesting in the Southeast Asian nation.
There have been a number of exchanges betweenthe two countries’ people and scholars, helping to deepen mutual understanding.An array of cultural activities have been held over the last two years such asphoto exhibitions, film festivals, Vietnamese cultural days, the opening ofVietnamese books’ rooms in Indian libraries, and the establishment of a centrefor Vietnamese studies, Ambassador Chau said.
Science and technology are also potentialcooperation areas that are being promoted by both sides, the diplomat said,noting that many IT firms of India have opened branches in Vietnam, and manyVietnamese scientists have also received training in India over the past years.However, their collaboration in these areas has yet to meet expectations.
He said the countries also boast huge potentialfor tourism development. Almost 120,000 Indians toured Vietnam in 2017, up 30percent year on year, and the number is expected to reach 150,000 – 170,000this year. Meanwhile, the South Asian nation welcomes some 20,000 Vietnamesetourists every year, most of whom make pilgrimages to the Buddhist land andvisit cultural and heritage sites of India.-VNA
In an interview with Vietnam News Agency aheadof the trip, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau said this is areciprocal visit following a tour of India by then President Tran Dai Quanglast March.
During this visit, the two sides will review what they have and haven’tachieved so as to enhance connections. They will also discuss issues of commonconcern, especially regional and global matters, he said.
He noted that the political ties and trust betweenthe two countries have been increasingly strengthened through frequent mutualhigh-ranking visits, especially since they set up the comprehensive strategicpartnership in 2016, including the tour of Vietnam by Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi (September 2016), and the trips to India by Vietnamese NationalAssembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (December 2016), Deputy Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (July 2017), Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc (January 2018) and then President Tran Dai Quang (March 2018).
Delegation exchanges at all levels have alsobeen increased between their Parties, parliaments, defence ministries, courtsand localities. The countries have effectively brought into play dialoguemechanisms and implemented the signed agreements. They have organised strategicdialogues and political consultations at the deputy foreign ministerial levelevery year, the ambassador said.
Meanwhile, defence-security cooperation isviewed as an important and effective pillar of their comprehensive strategicpartnership, as reflected through regular mutual visits between militaryofficers and dialogues at the deputy defence ministerial level.
The defence forces of Vietnam and India are alsoworking closely in information sharing, personnel training and equipmentprovision. They have maintained dialogue mechanisms and stepped up cooperationin cyber security, counter-terrorism, capacity building, equipment procurementand technology transfer, as well as at regional forums like the ASEAN DefenceMinisters’ Meeting-Plus.
Defence cooperation has been lifted to thehighest-ever level, and India has become one of the most important defencepartners of Vietnam, Chau noted.
Aside from the sound relations inpolitics-diplomacy and defence-security, bilateral economic-trade partnershipshave enjoyed great strides in recent years, he said, elaborating that India hasemerged as one of the top 12 trade partners of Vietnam.
Bilateral trade soared by 41 percent from 5.6billion USD in 2016 to 7.6 billion USD in 2017. It hit 9.2 billion USD betweenJanuary and October this year, up 47 percent from a year earlier.
As of October 2018, India poured 876.73 millionUSD into Vietnam, ranking 26th among 127 countries and territories directlyinvesting in the Southeast Asian nation.
There have been a number of exchanges betweenthe two countries’ people and scholars, helping to deepen mutual understanding.An array of cultural activities have been held over the last two years such asphoto exhibitions, film festivals, Vietnamese cultural days, the opening ofVietnamese books’ rooms in Indian libraries, and the establishment of a centrefor Vietnamese studies, Ambassador Chau said.
Science and technology are also potentialcooperation areas that are being promoted by both sides, the diplomat said,noting that many IT firms of India have opened branches in Vietnam, and manyVietnamese scientists have also received training in India over the past years.However, their collaboration in these areas has yet to meet expectations.
He said the countries also boast huge potentialfor tourism development. Almost 120,000 Indians toured Vietnam in 2017, up 30percent year on year, and the number is expected to reach 150,000 – 170,000this year. Meanwhile, the South Asian nation welcomes some 20,000 Vietnamesetourists every year, most of whom make pilgrimages to the Buddhist land andvisit cultural and heritage sites of India.-VNA
VNA
