Vietnam treasures comprehensive strategic partnership with India: Party chief

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam always treasures and wishes to enhance its comprehensive strategic partnership with India, both bilaterally and multilaterally, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said on April 15.

The Party chief made the affirmation during his phone talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (Indian People's Party).

Trong expressed his support for India’s role and contributions in the region and the world, and noted that the time-honoured friendship between Vietnam and India, their closeness in culture and history, and their common interests in many international matters, have created a foundation for the bilateral cooperation.

The leader also informed the Indian PM about Vietnam’s political-economic situation, socio-economic development targets and foreign policy set at the 13th National Party Congress.

PM Modi congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in national development as well as its increasing role and position in the international arena, stating that Vietnam is an important pillar in India’s foreign policy, especially its Act East Policy.

He briefed the Vietnamese Party leader on the situation in India, including economic recovery and supply chain building to meet domestic demand and join the global supply chain.

The two leaders noted with pleasure the strong and effective developments of the Vietnam-India comprehensive strategic partnership and highlighted cooperation and mutual support in the COVID-19 fight.

They agreed to step up political trust and high-level meetings and collaboration through the Party, Government and National Assembly channels and people-to-people exchanges.

The two sides will also boost relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and political parties in India, including the BJP, and assign competent agencies to further coordinate in the implementation of programmes and measures to strengthen bilateral ties in major spheres.

The strengths and potential for economic, trade and investment cooperation of each side should be fully tapped to facilitate their post-pandemic recovery, the leaders said, stressing the need to foster collaboration in national defence and security, tourism and culture, as well as coordination at regional and international multilateral forums.

They exchanged their stance on regional and international issues of shared concern.

For the East Sea, both emphasised the necessity of maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, development and observance of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), and respecting sovereignty and sovereign right of countries, and the freedom of navigation and aviation.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, they agreed on the importance of observing international law, and not using or threatening to use force, and shared their wish that relevant sides will step up dialogues and negotiations to end the war and restore peace on the basis of respecting the legitimate rights of each other and in accordance with international law, while ensuring safety for civilians and addressing humanitarian issues.

The Vietnamese Party leader used the occasion to invite PM Modi to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time. The Indian PM accepted the invitation with pleasure./.