(VOVworld)- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said he is happy with important progress in the cooperation between Vietnam and India while hosting the Indian Ambassador to Vietnam in Hanoi on February 9.

Minh spoke highly of the two countries upgrading their ties to comprehensive strategic partnership, saying it has created a crucial framework for their relations to grow deeply and in a more stable manner in the coming time. The two countries marked the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in this January and will celebrate their 10 year-old strategic partnership in July, he told Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, reminding the diplomat of joint coordination to prepare for upcoming high-level visits and important events.

Deputy PM Minh suggested that the two sides should soon accomplish and sign an action programme to actualize the comprehensive strategic partnership, since the bilateral relations are growing soundly and cooperation at all levels and through various channels have been strengthened.

He expressed his hope that the two countries will maintain their positive development trend and ratchet up the implementation of bilateral cooperative mechanisms to strive for two-way trade value to rise stably and defence-security collaboration, technology transfer and scientific research to be intensified.

Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni affirmed that Vietnam is one of the crucial pillars of India’s “Act East” policy and appreciated the country’s role as the coordinating country in the ASEAN-India relations in the 2015-2018 period.

The diplomat vowed to work closely with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and branches in order to deploy reached agreements efficiently, prepare well for upcoming high-level visits, and speed up the disbursement of India’s credit packages provided for Vietnam.

He reported that the India Embassy plans to launch cultural exchanges, meetings, seminars, and economic forums with the aim of stepping up the two countries wide-ranging ties.