Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has hailed important contributions the Vietnamese Embassy in India has made to foster the Vietnam-India ties over the past years.

At the meeting with the embassy staff and overseas Vietnamese in India on November 19 following his arrival in New Delhi for a State visit, the Party leader also lauded the embassy staff’s good preparations for the visit, which he believes will be successful.

He said he senses warm sentiments towards the homeland of the Vietnamese community in India and hopes they will bridge the friendship between Vietnamese and Indian people.

The Party chief briefed them on the country’s current situation and efforts to weather the global financial crisis impacts, deal with natural disasters, storms and flood, stablise the macro-economy, reining in inflation, and ensure social welfares and rapid, sustainable development.

Vietnam always attaches much importance to developing the established relations, which were initiated by President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and nurtured by generations of leaders and people, and multi-faceted cooperation with India , Trong said.

He said he hopes his visit will further deepen the Vietnam-India strategic partnership for each country’s development, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Tan said over the past years, the embassy has worked closely with Vietnamese relevant agencies to effectively realise the strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.

He pledged that the embassy staff will spare no effort to well fulfil the tasks assigned by the Party, State and people to elevate the Vietnam-India ties.

During the State visit, Party General Secretary Trong is due to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, meet with President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President and Chairman of the Senate Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Speaker of the Lower House Meira Kumar, and leaders of the Indian National Congress Party, the National People’s Party, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Vietnam and India established their diplomatic ties in 1972 and elevated their relations to a strategic partnership in 2007.-VNA