HCM City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and the Vietnam-India Friendship Association in the city on August 14 held a ceremony to mark the 78th anniversary of India’s Independence Day (August 15, 1947-2024).
President of the association Huynh Thanh Lap extended his greetings to the Indian people on this occasion, and congratulated them on the great achievements they have recorded in national construction and development.
Since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties in 1972 and the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016, relations between Vietnam-India have made marked strides, with consolidated strategic trust through close cooperation between ministries and agencies, as well as regular meetings between high-ranking leaders, he said.
Lap also highlighted the attention local leaders pay to the bilateral friendship, as reflected through various meetings between them and representatives from the association, and the Ambassador and the Consul General of India, during which they looked into the possibility of cooperation within the people-to-people exchange framework between the two countries.
He cited statistics showing that as of April, India had run 402 projects in Vietnam, ranking 26th among the 141 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.
Lap held that such achievements, along with results of the recent state visit to India by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, will create a firm foundation for the two countries to foster cooperation and bilateral trade.
Indian Consul General Madan Mohan Sethi stressed Vietnam and India are connected by not only the history but also the values of peace, cooperation, and mutual respect both are pursuing.
Recalling PM Chinh’s visit, Sethi said it has helped strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership with a joint statement. The goal is toward higher political-strategic trust, deeper defence-security cooperation, more substantial and effective economic-trade-investment collaboration, broader cooperation in science-technology, and closer cultural-tourism and people-to-people exchange.
The diplomat expressed his hope that more activities will be organised in the time ahead, contributing to boosting the relationship./.
VNA
