President of India Ram Nath Kovind. (Photo timesofindia.indiatimes.com)Hanoi (VNA) – IndianPresident Ram Nath Kovind’s upcoming visit to Vietnam from November 18-20, his first trip to the country and Asia sincetaking office in July 2017, is of great importance to strengthening anddeveloping the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vietnam and India officially establisheddiplomatic relations on January 7 in 1972. In 1954, India opened a consulategeneral in Hanoi, and two years later, Vietnam inaugurated its consulategeneral in New Delhi. The two countries set up the strategic partnership in2007 and elevated it to comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2016.
The Vietnam-India comprehensivestrategic partnership has been growing fruitfully. Political trust has beenincreased as a result of the regular exchange of visits and meetings betweentheir high-ranking officials and at all levels via Party, State, NationalAssembly, locality, and people-to-people exchange channels.
In March 2018, President Tran DaiQuang paid a State visit to India, while Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucvisited India to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and celebrationsof the 69th anniversary of Republic Day of India in January 2018. IndianDefence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj visitedVietnam in June and August 2018, respectively.
Vietnam and India have built andupheld effective cooperation mechanisms. The Vietnam-India inter-governmental committeefor economic, commercial, scientific and technological cooperation has to date convened16 meetings, with the latest taking place in Hanoi in August 2018. The twocountries organised their 10th political consultation and 7th strategicdialogue in New Delhi from April 8-10, 2018.
Bilateral defence ties have been expandedbetween their navies, ground and air forces, focusing on personnel training,defence industry and ship visits. The two sides held their first deputyministerial level security dialogue in July 2018. They have increased theexchange of experiences and information in criminal science as well as in thefight against transnational crimes, drug trafficking, cyber and hi-tech crimes,and terrorism.
Vietnam and India supported eachother at multilateral forums like the Asia-Europe Meeting, ASEAN RegionalForum, ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting Plus, and the United Nations. The twonations backed each other’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UNSecurity Council, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN HumanRights Council. Vietnam backed India's bid for a permanent seat when the UNSecurity Council is enlarged as well as its Act East policy and initiatives forthe development of the Mekong–Ganga Cooperation.
India values the importance of peace,stability, safety, security, freedom of navigation and aviation; peaceful settlementof disputes; observance of international law; and building of an effective andlegally-binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Aside from sound relations inpolitics-diplomacy and defence-security, bilateral economic-trade partnershipshave enjoyed significant strides in recent years. India is among the top tentrade partners of Vietnam.
Bilateral trade enjoyed an annualaverage growth rate of 16 percent from 2008 to 2013. The figure hit 8.3 billionUSD between January and September 2018, up 4.1 percent from the same periodlast year. The two countries are working to lift bilateral trade to 15 billionUSD in 2020.
As of October 2018, India poured876.73 million USD into Vietnam, ranking 26th among 127 countries andterritories directly investing in the Southeast Asian nation. Vietnam,meanwhile, is investing in 7 projects worth 6.15 million USD in India. Bothnations are members of the ASEAN-India Investment Agreement within theframework of the ASEAN-India free trade agreement.
Cultural cooperation between thesides has been boosted with the establishment of the Indian cultural centre andcentre for Indian studies in Hanoi in 2016 and of the centre for Vietnamesestudies in New Delhi in March 2018.
Vietnam and India have also boastedhuge potential for tourism development. Almost 120,000 Indians toured Vietnamin 2017, up 30 percent year on year, and the number is expected to reach 150,000– 170,000 this year. Meanwhile, the South Asian nation welcomes some 20,000Vietnamese tourists every year.
Bilateral cooperation inagriculture, oil and gas, electricity, nuclear energy has also recordedpositive progresses.-VNA
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