National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will make an official visit to India from December 8-11 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – An official visit to India by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan from December 8-11 is expected to help realise the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
The trip will be made at the invitation of Chairman of the Indian Senate Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Speaker of India’s Lower House Sumitra Mahajan.
It aims to intensify the countries’ multifaceted cooperation on the threshold of the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties (1972) and 10 years since their strategic partnership was established (2007).
The tour is set to beef up connections between the two parliaments, laying a firm foundation for long-term and stable relations with India.
Vietnam and India boast a friendship that has been nurtured by their leaders throughout history.
In the 1950s, President Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru affirmed the two peoples’ faithful friendship. Nehru was one of the first foreign leaders to visit Vietnam after it won the war against France in 1954.
President Ho Chi Minh visited India in 1958, and one year later, Indian President Rajendra Prasad made a trip to the Southeast Asian nation.
The two countries established diplomatic ties on January 7, 1972, opening up a new chapter in bilateral amity. Relations have been solidified in past years to become an example of cooperation and friendship.
In July 2007, Vietnam and India elevated their ties to a strategic partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Vietnam in September 2016 during which the two sides raised their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
In terms of economic links, India is one of the 10 biggest trade partners of Vietnam, which is also a prioritised partner in the South Asian nation’s “Act East” policy.
Two-way trade has risen, reaching 5.23 billion USD in 2013, 5.6 billion USD in 2014, and 3.9 billion USD in the first nine months of 2016. It is hoped to hit 15 billion USD by 2020.
India ranks 28th among 116 countries and territories investing in the ASEAN country with 118 valid projects worth 590 million USD at present.
Through short- and long-term scholarships, it has been helping Vietnam in manpower training in various fields such as IT, economics, law, and English.
Relations between their legislative bodies have also been intensified in recent years as seen through increased exchanges of information, high-level delegations and friendship parliamentary groups. They have created favourable policies for the countries’ friendship and cooperation, especially in politics, security-defence, and science-technology.
At international and regional inter-parliamentary forums, Vietnamese and Indian legislators have supported the viewpoints shared by their country leaders on global events, especially on the East Sea issue.-VNA
VNA
