General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong welcomed the first visit by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind during their talks in Hanoi on November 20.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President Nguyen Phu Trong (R) and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind (Source: VNA).
Kovind expressed his delight at visiting Vietnam, his first
destination in Southeast Asia since he took office in July 2017.
Both sides shared the view that bilateral ties are growing
strongly in diverse areas, especially since the establishment of the strategic
partnership in 2007 and the upgrade of bilateral ties to the level of a
comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016.
They agreed to fully deliver on high-level political
commitments and those in adopted political framework documents, and to further
tap into potential and advantages– including the Action Plan of the
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 2017-2020 period – so as to deepen
bilateral links.
The two countries will also facilitate all-level visits and
step up coordination via the Party, State, Government, National Assembly and
local channels, as well as people-to-people exchange.
As India is now one of the top 10 trade partners of Vietnam,
host and guest together believed that two-way trade will soon hit 15 billion
USD.
They suggested increasing trade promotion, especially in
energy, renewable energies, and high-quality agriculture, and encouraged the
Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of
India to actively explore oil and gas in Vietnam, as well as seek cooperation
models with third countries.
The two sides agreed on the importance of promoting
connectivity and accelerating procedures to help Vietjet soon launch its direct
flights between Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi.
Host and guest spoke highly of activities launched by each
country’s cultural research centre in Hanoi and New Delhi.
The Indian President thanked Vietnam for holding activities
celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year and the
annual International Day of Yoga.
Impressed by his visit to My Son sanctuary, the
UNESCO-recognised world cultural heritage site, Kovind lauded the joint work to
effectively launch a project on preserving the relic site.
The Vietnamese leader hailed India’s support for the Cham
community, including the building of Cham community houses and schools, as well
as Cham cultural studies in the central province of Ninh Thuan.
The two leaders affirmed to continue their support for the
localities, friendship and people’s organisations, and scholars and researchers
of the two countries towards enhancing collaboration and creating favourable
conditions for their press agencies to increase activities in each nation.
The two sides agreed to maintain the annual exchange of youth
delegations to enable younger generations of the two countries to explore each
other’s histories and cultures.
The Indian side pledged to continue providing scholarships
for Vietnam through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)
Programme and the Cultural Exchange Programme’s General Cultural Scholarship
Scheme (CEP/GCSS), as well as those for students and postgraduates from ASEAN
countries to pursue doctoral courses in India.
Host and guest hailed the defence-security cooperation as
strategic, effective, and practical, and agreed to step up collaboration and
support in training human resources and realising the affiliation between the
two nations’ armed services.
The Indian side said it is willing to share its experience in
organising and training UN peacekeeping forces, as well as assisting Vietnam in
addressing its post-war consequences.
The two sides applauded the implementation of a 100 million
USD credit package to build high-speed patrol vessels for Vietnam’s border
guards and agreed to soon organise the first marine security dialogue.
Party General Secretary and President Trong spoke highly of
India’s important role and voice at international forums. The two sides
affirmed to continue close coordination and mutual support at multilateral
forums, particularly the United Nations. They also consented to support each
other in their bids to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council
for 2020-2021 (for Vietnam) and 2021-2022 (for India).
The Indian President stressed that Vietnam is a pillar in its
"Act East” policy, as well as a key partner of the country in ASEAN.
The Vietnamese leader welcomed India’s stance on the East Sea
issue over the years, suggesting the South Asian nation continue backing the
policies of Vietnam and ASEAN regarding this issue.
After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of
numerous documents, including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the
Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications and the Indian Ministry
of Communications on cooperation in the communications sector, and another
between the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics in Hanoi and the New
Delhi-based Jawarhalal Nehru University on collaboration in academic research
and exchange of lecturers and students.
The Department of External Affairs under the Vietnamese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Chamber of Commerce (INCHAM) in
Vietnam inked a MoU on creating channels to boost the investment and business
climate in Vietnamese localities, while another agreement was also signed
between the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the All India
Association of Industries on stepping up bilateral trade and investment
collaboration.
Source: VNA
The Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee has held a meeting of the organising committee for celebrations of the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (December 22, 1944 - 2024) and the 35th anniversary of the All People’s National Defence Festival (December 22, 1989 - 2024). Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Toan presided over the event.
Exemplary collectives, individuals and households in the patriotic emulation movements have contributed greatly to building ethical and moral standards in the community.
A delegation of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) led by its Governor Nguyen Thi Hong paid a working visit to Hoa Binh province on February 22.
Together with the whole country, people of all ethnic groups in Hoa Binh province celebrated the Lunar New Year of the Dragon happily and safely. The warm weather on the first days of the new year made people more joyful, in harmony with the bustling pace of spring life.
Over the last 94 years under the Party’s leadership, the Party organisation, administration, and people of Khoan Du commune (Lac Thuy district), where the first unit of the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hoa Binh province was established, have upheld their glorious revolutionary tradition and stayed united to strongly develop their hometown.