(VOVworld)- Indian President Pranab Mukherjee began a 4-day visit to Vietnam on Sunday at the invitation of President Truong Tan Sang. The visit will boost the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.
President Ho Chi Minh and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation for the traditional friendship between Vietnam and India in the early 20th century. This relationship has been fostered by the two countries’ leaders and peoples. India has supported Vietnam’s past struggles for national liberation as well as its current renovation and development. In 1954 India opened its Consulate in Hanoi, and two years later Vietnam opened a General Consulate in New Delhi. On January 7, 1972, the two countries upgraded their relationship to the Ambassadorial level.
Outcomes of traditional friendship
Currently, the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India is developing steadily. The two countries have regularly exchanged delegations. During Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to India in July, 2007, a Joint Declaration was signed officially establishing a strategic partnership. During Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to India in 2011, a Vietnam-India strategic partnership was realized with the signing of 7 bilateral cooperative agreements. During Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan’s visit to India in April, 2012, the two sides signed 9 cooperative agreements on research and application of nano, biological, information, and ocean technology, climate change response, Indian studies, Vietnamese studies and exchanges of students and teachers. The two countries released a Joint Statement and signed 8 cooperative agreements in various fields during Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to India in November, 2013.
In addition to increasing high-ranking delegation exchanges, both countries have strengthened cooperation mechanisms including the Vietnam-India Inter-Governmental Committee for Science, Technology, Culture and Education, and the Political Consultation and Strategic Dialogue Mechanisms between the two Foreign Ministries.
Multi-faceted cooperation is strengthened
Vietnam and India are trade partners. In 2013 two-way trade totalled 5.23 billion USD, 32% higher than in 2012 and is likely to reach 7 billion USD in 2015. This figure is expected to be 15 billion USD by 2020. Major Vietnamese export items to India include mobile phones, accessories and machinery. Vietnam imports from India mainly maize, animal feeds and pharmaceutical products. The two countries’ investment relation is expected to rise once India’s TATA Group implements the Long Phu II Thermal Power Project in Soc Trang worth 1.8 billion USD. So far, India has had 73 FDI projects worth 273 million USD in Vietnam. In the last three years India has granted Vietnam preferential credit of 19.5 million USD, of which 10 million USD was for the Nam Trai No 4 Hydro-Power Plant in Son La province. The two sides are discussing the terms of a 100 million USD credit for Vietnam.
Since 1988 Vietnam and India have strengthened cooperation in oil and gas exploitation. During President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to India in 2011, the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in oil and gas exploration and exploitation. India promised to implement projects on exploration and exploitation in Vietnam’s potential oil and gas lots. The two sides also signed several agreements and memorandums of understanding on scientific research, agriculture, citizen travel, and extradition.
India has over the past few years helped Vietnam train human resources in information technology, economics, law and English through some 150 long-term and short-term scholarships. India opened an English Training Center in Da Nang and at the National Defense Academy and plans to open an Indian Culture Center in Hanoi this year. The two countries extended the Culture Exchange Program, and organized several cultural activities to mark Vietnam-India Friendship Year in 2012. They organized Indian Festival Week in Vietnam with various interesting activities in 2013.
During the Indian President’s visit to Vietnam this week, the two countries will review outcomes of their leaders’ visits, especially President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to India in October, 2011 and Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit in November, 2013. A number of cooperative agreements are expected to be signed during the Indian President’s visit strengthening the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.