India wanted to expand its strategic partnership with Vietnam , and pledged to offer more financial assistance to Vietnam in the near future, with many incentives.

Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna made this statement at the talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on September 16 and as they co-hosted the 14 th session of the Vietnam - India Joint Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

Minh and Krishna agreed that the two countries’ traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, which were begun by President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawahalal Nehru and fostered by the two countries’ generations of leaders and peoples, had been expanded and strengthened since the two countries established the strategic partnership during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to India in July, 2007.

The two sides said that exchanges of high-ranking delegations of leaders of the two countries were important milestones, creating conditions to strongly promote the strategic partnership and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and India .

Reviewing international and regional issues of mutual concern, they affirmed determination to cooperate to maintain regional peace and stability as well as support each other at regional and international forums such as the ASEAN, East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia – Europe Meeting, WTO and the United Nations.

The two sides also agreed to ensure maritime freedom on the East Sea , prevent the use of force and threats, settle disputes through peace negotiation on the basis of international law, supporting the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea .

At the 14 th session of the Vietnam – India Joint Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, the two sides reviewed the outcome of agreements reached at the previous session, the 2007 – 2011 Action Plan and mapped out an Action Plan for the 2011 – 2013 period to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

They also spoke highly of cooperation in the fields of security, national defence and economics, and agreed to increase bilateral trade to 7 billion USD by 2015 and promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, breeding, information and telecommunications, healthcare, tourism, justice, culture and human resource training in the near future.

The two ministers expressed their pleasure at India ’s financial assistance to Vietnam , saying India ’s OAD, preferential credits and non-refundable aids have brought practical results.

They agreed that documents adopted at the session would serve as an important foundation to further `develop the strategic partnership and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and India .

The 15 th session of the Vietnam – India Joint Committee on Cooperation in Trade, Economics, Science and Technology was set to be held in 2013./.