Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on November 20 wrapped up his three-day state visit to Viet Nam at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee (CPVCC) and President Nguyen Phu Trong.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and President Nguyen Phu Trong (R) and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind

During his trip, the Indian leader held talks with Party General Secretary and President Trong, met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and Secretary of the Da Nang Party Committee Truong Quang Nghia.

He delivered a speech at the Vietnamese NA, attended the Viet Nam-India Business Forum, and met with Indian expats living, working and studying in Viet Nam.

He toured Da Nang and the world cultural heritage My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam Province. He also laid wreaths at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Martyrs Monument in Hanoi.

On the occasion, the two sides issued a joint statement on the State visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Viet Nam.

During meetings, Vietnamese and Indian leaders highlighted the strong development of bilateral relations between Viet Nam and India across fields since they established a Strategic Partnership in 2007 and upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016.

The two sides agreed to maintain regular visits at all levels across the channels of Party, State, Government, parliament, and locality, as well as people-to-people exchanges; maintain regularly and on-schedule bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and effectively implement results of high-level visits and signed agreements.

They agreed to effectively implement the joint vision statement on Viet Nam-India  defence relations in the 2015-2020 period; promote links in training human resources; and expand cooperation between their armies, air forces, navies and coast guards as well as cooperation in the field of cyber security and information sharing.

The two sides proposed the early building of concrete plans for the effective implementation of signed agreements in order to further promote bilateral trade, including trade and investment promotion measures.

The Indian side pledged to continue providing scholarships for Viet Nam 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.

The Vietnamese and Indian leaders stressed the need to increase connectivity, while agreeing to lay smooth conditions for Vietjet to soon operate direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to New Delhi.

The two sides agreed to continue working closely and supporting each other at regional and international forums, especially within the United Nations.

Regarding the East Sea issue, they agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the sea; and peacefully settling disputes in line with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982, and soon concluding an effective and binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

(Source: VNA/ DA NANG Today)