(VOVWORLD) - President Tran Dai Quang and his wife left Hanoi on Friday for a 3-day state visit to India at the invitation of Indian President Nath Kovind. After the two countries celebrated their Friendship Year 2017, the visit opened an important opportunity for top leaders to strengthen the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and plan even closer ties.
India, with a population of 1.2 billion and the world’s second highest growth rate, has emerged as a powerhouse in IT, medicine, biotechnology, aerospace, and remote sensing. Vietnam, a dynamic economy, has conducted extensive reforms and instigated an open door policy.
Vietnam and India have placed strong political trust in each other and share strategic interests. All these factors provide a foundation for the two countries to expand their cooperation in all areas.
Developing close friendship
Vietnam and India elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vietnam. Annual two-way trade has surpassed 10 billion USD and is on pace to reach 15 billion USD by 2020. Vietnam is India’s 4th largest trade partner in ASEAN and India is one of Vietnam’s 10 largest trade partners. Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy said: “Security-defense ties are in the spotlight. Both sides have many cooperative projects in arms sales, scientific research, and training. India has provided Vietnam with scholarships in training security forces capable of operating submarines and new-generation jet fighters to assist Vietnam’s military modernization. The Vietnam-India relationship has developed steadily, but could be even better given their potential and political trust.”
Vietnam appreciates India’s Act East policy and affirms its own role as a coordinator of ASEAN-India ties. India considers ASEAN a center of its Act East policy and of its dream of an Asian century, with Vietnam being an important pillar. Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish said: “In the coming period, the sky is the limit for the possibilities and potential of our relationship. India and Vietnam have been showing strong growth rates after our economic reforms. I think the ability for both of us to cooperate is also huge because of our young populations. And I think this is a huge advatage for us as we look at future economic growth. Both of us are well integrated globally in institutions. Our cooperation the field of economy, security and defense, and, of course, political cooperation and cultural cooperation will only flourish in the years to come.”
Plan for further cooperation to be shaped
Following Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s January tour of India, the visit by President Tran Dai Quang continues to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and map out future cooperation.
President Quang is scheduled to meet with President Kovind, Prime Minister Modi, and Lower House Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. He will deliver a keynote speech on policy and meet Indian scholars at the Nehru Memorial Museum Library and open Vietnam Culture Day in New Delhi. During his visit, the two countries will sign several important agreements on cooperation in trade, agriculture, defense, and energy use for peaceful purposes.