Vietnam and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation in drug combat, cyber security, anti-terrorism efforts, search and rescue work, and dealing with consequences of bombs and mines.

The agreement was reached at the talks between Indian Home Minister Sushikulmar Shinde and Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang in New Delhi on November 1.

India strongly supports the expansion of the strategic partnership with Vietnam as the country is crucial to New Delhi’s “Look East” policy, Shinde stressed.

He suggested wider cooperation across infrastructure, information technology, people-to-people diplomacy, preservation of national cultural heritages and mutual support at multilateral forums.

Shinde spoke highly of bilateral agreements on legal assistance and extradition, and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on anti-crime cooperation between the two ministries that, according to him, have laid an important legal foundation for the fight against crimes over the recent past.

The host said the extradition treaty signed during Quang’s visit will help perfect legal framework for bilateral judicial cooperation.

Minister Quang shared the same view with his host about orientations for the two ministries’ cooperation in the time ahead. Accordingly, both sides will hold ministerial and deputy ministerial-level security dialogues biennially and annually while extending training courses on legal enforcement to at least 15 days.

They discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern, agreed to work together against new challenges like maritime security and freedom, terrorism, trans-national crimes and piracy, as well as speed up the negotiations for signing agreements, especially an MoU on the establishment of a Hanoi-based Indira Gandhi laboratory designed to recover e-data.

Both sides signed an extradition agreement during Quang’s visit.-VNA