Illustrative image (Source: Internet) With nearly 100Vietnamese and Indian scholars taking part, the event aimed to boostVietnam-India ties across the fields of politics, diplomacy, economy-trade,national defenec-security, energy, culture, education, science-technology, andpeople-to-people diplomacy.
Speaking at theevent, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh lauded the time-honoured bilateralties dating back to thousands of years ago when Buddhism and Hinduism enteredVietnam.
Over the past 45years, the bilateral friendship, peace, cooperation and development have beenincreasingly strengthened, she said, adding that the achievements have yet tomatch each country’s potential.
She asked bothcountries to utilise similarities and remove subjective and objective barriers thatslow cooperation progress, based on which, identify each side’s priorities andstrengths in bilateral links.
The Vietnameseleader suggested further clarifying Vietnam’s role in India’s Act East policyas well as its role as a bridge connecting India and ASEAN so that the twonations could develop relationship on par with their potential.
She said Vietnamwants the Indian government to provide annual scholarships for Vietnamesestudents and invest in building capacity of information technology workforce;English training; electrical energy calculation and other fields such as nucleartechnology; remote sensing; outer space exploration for peaceful purposes;aviation, road and waterway connectivity; and the effective organisation of theVietnam-India friendship festival.
NeeklakantaRavi, former Indian Ambassador to Vietnam and former deputy head of the IndianForeign Service in charge of Oriental Affairs, described Vietnam as one of thespecial diplomatic priorities of India thanks to its significant role inIndia’s strategic economic interests.
Participantsdiscussed theoretical and practical issues such as the history and status ofbilateral ties, past achievements, barriers and limitations in regional andglobal context, and suggestions.
Several opinionsshared the view that the two countries need to shape a new vision and mindsetin order to lift bilateral ties to a greater height amid the current worlddevelopment trend.
The event wasco-organised by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Indian Embassyin Vietnam.-VNA
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