Vietnamese Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân and Indian Ambassador to Việt Nam Pranay Verma at the ceremony on Thursday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — A ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam-India diplomatic ties (January 7, 1972) was held both online and offline in Hà Nội on Thursday.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân hailed India for considering Việt Nam a priority in its “Act East” policy, affirming that the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and people always attached importance to developing the comprehensive strategic partnership with India, seeing India as a partner of top significance and a trustworthy friend.

She suggested the two countries continue increasing consultations, work closely together and offer mutual support at regional and global forums and via State, Government, National Assembly and people-to-people channels.

Xuân proposed implementing the 2021-23 Action Programme for bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and the Việt Nam-India Joint Vision Statement for Peace, Prosperity and People, which was adopted in December 2020.

Attention should be paid to cooperation in priority fields such as information technology, innovation, energy, digital transformation, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, tourism, green economy, climate change response, human resource training, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchange for sustainable development of the two countries following the pandemic, she said.

The vice president expressed her belief that on the back of solid foundations over the past five decades and high determination of the two countries’ leaders and people, ties between Việt Nam and India would grow for national development and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

In a pre-recorded speech, Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu affirmed that India saw Việt Nam as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific vision, and noted Việt Nam’s role in supporting India’s outreach efforts on a rules-based order in the region, including through maintenance of international law.

The Indian vice president expressed his firm belief that the two countries would continue to cooperate based on the similarities in ASEAN's Indo-Pacific Outlook and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.

Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications and Chairman of the Việt Nam-India Friendship Association (VIFA) Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng thanked Indian friends for having shared with Việt Nam’s COVID-19 medical supplies and medicines, even when India itself had been facing difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Hùng also affirmed that the VIFA and the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations would work closely with Indian partners and agencies to boost people-to-people exchange activities.

Indian Ambassador to Việt Nam Pranay Verma also hoped that friendship between the two countries' people would be tightened and bilateral relations reach a greater height. — VNS