VIETNAM INDIA ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT

Party General Secretary Trong and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday agreed Viet Nam and India had made important progress in recent years since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2007.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday meets India President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.

The two State leaders met at the Indian Presidential Palace in New Delhi, as part of Trong's State visit to India, agreeing that despite the huge potential for mutual benefits, further efforts were needed to ramp up co-operation.
As part of their talks, the two leaders discussed the importance of boosting trade and investment and implementing joint projects in oil exploitation and the construction of electricity plants, in reaching a bilateral trade turnover of US$7 billion by 2015.
Trong highlighted the historical basis for the friendship between Viet Nam and India, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and successive State leaders from both countries.
The Vietnamese State leader also stressed the importance of India as a trusted friend of Viet Nam.
Pranab Mukherjee agreed with Trong and reaffirmed that India would prioritise its friendship with Viet Nam in a further bid to strengthen ties.
The same day, Trong also met with Hamid Ansari, India's Vice President and Senate Chairman, where the two parties agreed to boost cultural exchange activities between Viet Nam and India.
Trong and Ansari also discussed international issues, including co-operation and integration in Southern Asia and Southeast Asia.
They stressed the need for the two countries to step up co-operation and mutual support in multilateral forums, especially in relation to ASEAN and India.
Trong also expressed his appreciation of India's support of Viet Nam's bid to join the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.
Later in the day, Trong also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who praised the outcomes of the 15th meeting of the Viet Nam-India Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, co-chaired by the two foreign ministries last July.
Khurshid praised the meeting's efforts in devising concrete plans to enhance economic ties between the two countries.
He also expressed hopes that the governments and ministries of both countries would accelerate the implementation of high-level agreements, including the 2013-15 Programme of Action and other documents to be signed during the visit.
The same day, Trong and his entourage paid a floral tribute to India's national hero Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat Memorial.
Party chief holds talks with Indian PM
The two sides have agreed to strongly and practically boost economic and trade cooperation to match bilateral potentials and aspirations.
The agreement was reached during talks between Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on November 20.
PM Singh affirmed the important significance of the visit in deepening the bilateral strategic partnership after the two nations successfully celebrated the India–Vietnam Friendship Year on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of their strategic partnership.
General Secretary Trong highly valued India’s position and role in the region and the world, affirming that Vietnam always pays attention to maintaining and developing its traditional friendship and strategic cooperation with India.
In his views, Vietnam and India will continue to be trustworthy and close friends as they share similar values and interests. The consolidation and strengthening of Vietnam-India ties is an objective requirement in the new period that matches interests and aspirations of the two peoples.
Both host and guest also talked ways to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership as well as discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.
They reached consensus on concrete steps to promote cooperation in the five pillars of the strategic partnership. Accordingly, the two nations will strengthen the close and trustworthy political ties as an important foundation for their relationship while increasing all-level visits in the coming time in order to bolster friendship and mutual trust.
Both sides stressed that national defence and security links will continue being a key pillar in the Vietnam-India strategic partnership.
The two countries will make efforts to implement the agreements reached at the 15th meeting of their joint committee on economy, trade and science and technology cooperation, with the aim of bringing two-way trade turnover to US$7 billion in 2015, and targeting US$15 billion in 2020.