New Delhi (VNA) - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam received Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi on May 5 afternoon (local time), as part of his state visit to the South Asian country.
Welcoming the Vietnamese leader’s visit in his new capacity shortly after the 16th National Assembly of Vietnam completed the consolidation of key State leadership positions, Doval emphasised the special significance of the visit, describing it as an important milestone in further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, particularly in key areas related to security and development.
The Indian official noted that “instability” and “uncertainty” have become defining features of the current global landscape. However, he stressed that mutual trust and a shared aspiration for development serve as stabilising factors in such a context. He expressed hope that the two countries will continue to strengthen cooperation, foster development, and elevate bilateral relations to new heights.
Doval also voiced his admiration for Vietnam’s comprehensive development achievements and its increasingly prominent role and position on the international stage. He reaffirmed that India consistently regards Vietnam as a leading important partner in the region, with positive contributions to peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
General Secretary and President Lam emphasised that Vietnam–India relations are built on a solid foundation of political trust, shared strategic vision, and long-term development interests. He reaffirmed that Vietnam consistently attaches importance to and wishes to further strengthen its relations with India, and supports the country in playing an increasingly important role in regional and global mechanisms.
He noted that despite many fluctuations in the global and regional situation, Vietnam–India relations have remained strong and resilient, and his visit serves as a testament to the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries, thereby contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
Highlighting the vast potential for cooperation, he stressed the need for both sides to promote substantive collaboration across all areas, including economy, science and technology, digital transformation, emerging technologies, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges.
At the meeting, both sides assessed that security cooperation is playing an increasingly important role in the bilateral relations and underscored the need to further strengthen coordination among security, law enforcement, and policy-making agencies. General Secretary and President Lam proposed the two nations enhance the sharing of strategic information, expand cooperation in cybersecurity, protect digital infrastructure, combat high-tech crimes, and improve capacity to respond to non-traditional security challenges.
On the basis of the Vietnam – India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two sides particularly emphasised the need for effective coordination in combating terrorism, transnational crime, online fraud, and emerging threats, thereby contributing to ensuring national security and social order in each country.
They also agreed to promote the linkage between security and development while expanding cooperation in strategic technology areas such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, innovation, energy, and high-quality human resources training, considering this a crucial foundation for enhancing each nation's strategic autonomy in the context of increasing global technological competition.
Regarding regional and international issues, the two sides agreed on maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight; and resolving disputes peacefully on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also agreed to continue increasing strategic consultations and coordinating closely at regional and international forums, thereby actively helping to shape a stable, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture in the context of a rapidly changing regional security environment with many latent risks.
Both sides expressed confidence that with the traditional friendship, a high level of strategic trust, strong political will from the leaders of both countries, and many similarities in viewpoints on various areas of cooperation, especially in the security field, Vietnam – India relations will develop more deeply, substantively, and effectively for the benefit of the people in each country, as well as for peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and the world./.
