VN, India are always faithful friends, official says
VGP - Viet Nam and India are always faithful friends and support each other, said Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh at his reception for Indian Vice FM Preeti Saran in Ha Noi on October 24.
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Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh welcomes Indian Vice FM Preeti Saran at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ha Noi on October 24, 2017. Photo: VGP |
Deputy PM, FM Minh welcomed the two countries’ political consultation and strategic dialogue as they provide platforms to discuss on bilateral cooperation and coordination at regional and international levels.
He suggested both sides work together to prepare for senior leaders’ upcoming visits and effectively realize the action plan for implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership in the period 20172020.
Deputy PM, FM Minht took the occasion to extend invitation to Indian Minister of External Affairs to visit Viet Nam and co-chair the 16th Viet Nam-India Joint Committee in 2018.
For her part, Vice FM Preeti Saran stressed Viet Nam is a focal point of India’s “Act East” Policy, thus India has deployed a number of projects in Viet Nam, especially in such fields like education, capacity building, technical assistance, and technological transfer.
She conveyed the sympathies of the Government and people of India to families’ victims caused by recent flooding in central Viet Nam.
Earlier the same day, Deputy FM Le Hoai Trung and Vice FM Preeti Saran co-chaired the 9th Viet Nam-India political consultation and the 6th Viet Nam-India strategic dialogue.
The pair expressed their pleasure at the robust advancement of the bilateral ties, especially since the two countries established the comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2016.
They agreed that both sides should identify concrete measures to lift up the two-way trade value to US$15 billion by 2020, enhance trade promotion activities and encourage launch of direct air routes.
India pledged to continue support for Viet Nam to further strengthen defense capacity while calling for stronger cooperation in cyber and maritime security, anti-terrorism, and combatting trans-national crime and illegal human trafficking.
Both sides underlined that peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation benefit all countries outside and inside the region and upheld the principle of settling disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The two sides also called for exercising self-restraint, avoiding activities that may complicate the situation, fully and seriously implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and working towards early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea./.
By Quang Minh
