Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh met with Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari in New Delhi on January 10 as part of his working visit to India on the occasion of the end of Vietnam-India Friendship Year.

At the meeting, the two sides looked back with satisfaction the positive development of the two countries’ traditional friendship and cooperation over the past 40 years, especially since they set up a strategic partnership in 2007.

They agreed that the successful Vietnam-India Friendship Year 2012 has deepened the strategic partnership between the two nations as well as further strengthening mutual understanding, trust and solidarity between the two peoples.

The two sides also agreed to increase the exchange of high-ranking delegations, effectively implement signed agreements and maintain existing cooperation mechanisms in 2013.

They reached a consensus on raising two-way trade to 7 billion USD by 2015, and strengthening cooperation in defence, culture, education and people-to-people exchange.

The Indian Vice President emphasised the need to maintain close coordination and cooperation between the two countries at international and regional forums such as ASEAN, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the UN and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He reaffirmed India’s consistent standpoint on the East Sea issue.

Deputy PM Ninh looked forward to Hamid Ansari’s mid-January visit to Vietnam, describing it as a vivid manifestation for the fine relationship between the two nations.

On the same day, the Vietnamese Deputy PM left New Delhi for Hanoi, concluding his four-day visit.-VNA