Party General Secretary Trong and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday agreed Viet Nam and India had made important progress in recent years since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2007.
Party General Secretary Trong and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday agreed Viet Nam and India had made important progress in recent years since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2007.
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| Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday meets India President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. |
The two State leaders met at the Indian Presidential Palace in New Delhi, as part of Trong's State visit to India, agreeing that despite the huge potential for mutual benefits, further efforts were needed to ramp up co-operation.
As part of their talks, the two leaders discussed the importance of boosting trade and investment and implementing joint projects in oil exploitation and the construction of electricity plants, in reaching a bilateral trade turnover of US$7 billion by 2015.
Trong highlighted the historical basis for the friendship between Viet Nam and India, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and successive State leaders from both countries.
The Vietnamese State leader also stressed the importance of India as a trusted friend of Viet Nam.
Pranab Mukherjee agreed with Trong and reaffirmed that India would prioritise its friendship with Viet Nam in a further bid to strengthen ties.
The same day, Trong also met with Hamid Ansari, India's Vice President and Senate Chairman, where the two parties agreed to boost cultural exchange activities between Viet Nam and India.
Trong and Ansari also discussed international issues, including co-operation and integration in Southern Asia and Southeast Asia.
They stressed the need for the two countries to step up co-operation and mutual support in multilateral forums, especially in relation to ASEAN and India.
Trong also expressed his appreciation of India's support of Viet Nam's bid to join the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent mem ber.
Later in the day, Trong also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who praised the outcomes of the 15th meeting of the Viet Nam-India Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, co-chaired by the two foreign ministries last July.
Khurshid praised the meeting's efforts in devising concrete plans to enhance economic ties between the two countries.
He also expressed hopes that the governments and ministries of both countries would accelerate the implementation of high-level agreements, including the 2013-15 Programme of Action and other documents to be signed during the visit.
The same day, Trong and his entourage paid a floral tribute to India's national hero Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat Memorial.
(Source: VNS)
