Int’l seminar celebrates Vietnam-India diplomatic ties hinh anh 1Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh (Second from left) (Source: VNA)
New Delhi (VNA) – An international conference featuring emerging horizons in Vietnam-India ties is taking place in New Delhi, attracting nearly 50 delegates from Vietnam, Singapore and India.

Co-organised by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, the Southeast Asia Research Group and Delhi University’s Zakir Husain Delhi College, the event was meant to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties.

Speaking at the July 3-4 event, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh said Vietnam and India are not only trustworthy partners but also fraternal countries which are willing to exchange views on bilateral and multilateral issues. Over the past decade, two-way trade has rose five-fold and India is currently one of the top 10 trade partners of Vietnam.

According to him, the two countries’ diplomatic policies share similarities, including the common goal of creating an environment of peace and stability, pursuing the foreign policy of multilateralisation and diversification in external relations, supporting the establishment of a regional architecture of openness and balance, and giving priority to ties with neighbouring countries.

While Vietnam and other ASEAN member states promote dialogue partnership with major partners worldwide, India has also launched specific programmes to carry out the “Act East” policy. Notably, Vietnam has undertaken the role of coordinator in the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership for 2015-2018.

The two nations need to continue strengthening political ties, promoting national defence-security links, and working closely together at international forums to upgrade their strategic partnership, he said.

During the two-day event, participants looked into policies in bilateral ties at current period, proposed common points among policymakers, researchers and scholars to learn about up-and-coming driving forces for bilateral relations.-VNA
VNA