Seminar highlights Vietnam-India partnership prospects
Hanoi (VNA) – The traditional ties between Vietnam and India are developing across the fields, from cooperation in defence-security to trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
Indian
Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish made the evaluation at a seminar on
prospects of bilateral ties held in Hanoi on September 21.
He said the two countries elevated the bilateral
relations to comprehensive strategic partnership during the official visit to
Vietnam by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2016.
India considers ASEAN the centre of its Act East
policy and Vietnam is an important pillar in this policy, the diplomat said,
adding that he believes in even brighter development prospects for the two
nations’ partnership.
President of the Vietnam Academy of Social
Sciences Nguyen Quang Thuan said since Vietnam and India gained independence in
1945 and 1947 respectively, the bilateral ties have been continuously nurtured
and developed to new heights.
He noted that Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru was the first foreign leader to visit Vietnam after the Southeast Asian
country made the historic Dien Bien Phu victory in 1945.
Trade
relations were also high on the seminar’s agenda, with attention on the
obstacles that hinder bilateral trade and solutions.
Director of
the Institute for India and Southwest Asia Studies Nguyen Xuan Trung said there
are three groups of barriers in Vietnam-India trade relations, which are cultural,
religious and institutional differences.
He suggested the two sides expand legal
foundation and increase the efficiency of trade promotion activities.-VNA