Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has expressed his delight at the growing strategic partnership in all fields between Vietnam and Japan, and Vietnam and India.

“Vietnam attaches special importance to cooperating with Japan and expects the two sides to effectively implement deals agreed on by the two countries’ leaders, especially promoting cooperation in the fields of infrastructure and energy,” PM Dung said at a meeting with Yoshihiko Noda, Japanese Finance Minister on May 4 in Hanoi.

Dung also thanked Japan for its assistance to Vietnam and said he hoped the two sides would soon sign an agreement on building the nuclear power plant No 2 and exploiting rare earth minerals in Vietnam.

He conveyed his deep condolences for the great loss caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, stressing that Vietnam would spare no efforts to help Japan overcome the challenges for the country’s rapid stabilisation and development.

Finance Minister Noda affirmed that Japan will fully answer requests from Vietnam, especially realising its commitments to ODA assistance for Vietnam’s major projects agreed by the two sides.

At a separate meeting with Pranab Mukerjee, Indian Finance Minister, PM Dung said that the two countries should make greater efforts to raise bilateral cooperative ties to a new height, which is growing but still unmatched with the potential of each side.

The PM affirmed that Vietnam would create favourable conditions for Indian businesses investing in the country, especially Tata Group and Bank of India’s opening of a branch in Vietnam.

Speaking highly of India’s role in the region and the world, Dung affirmed that Vietnam supports India’s further cooperation with ASEAN and its policy toward the bloc.

Mukerjee said that the traditional relationship fostered by the two countries’ leaders and peoples should be strengthened, adding that the two sides should strongly promote trade ties, and the successful project of Tata Group would be a model for Indian businesses investing in Vietnam.

The Japanese Finance Minister and his counterpart from India are currently in Hanoi for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) 44th Annual Meeting./.