Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam (right) had talks with the visiting Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Huyền Trang

BÌNH DƯƠNG — Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam on Monday received visiting Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who is attending the Horasis India Meeting 2022 in southern Bình Dương Province.

Deputy PM Đam affirmed that Việt Nam always treasured the comprehensive strategic partnership with India, asking the two sides to jointly promote the pillars of bilateral cooperation, including politics - diplomacy, defence - security, trade - investment, science - technology, culture, and people-to-people exchange.

He suggested both sides further facilitate trade ties and India create more optimal conditions for Vietnamese goods to enter its market.

Speaking highly of the Horasis India Meeting, which is taking place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, he described the event as an important occasion for the two sides to assess economic development trends in Asia, India, and Việt Nam, as well as Việt Nam's role in connecting India with Southeast Asian countries so as to seek chances to strengthen trade and investment links.

The deputy PM called on Indian businesses to boost investment in Việt Nam in such fields as processing, manufacturing, the support industry for the automobile sector, information and telecommunications technology, energy, hi-tech agriculture, innovation, and infrastructure development.

For his part, the Indian Secretary of State noted his country always viewed Vietnam as an important pillar in its Act East policy.

India’s organisation of this year’s Horasis Meeting in Việt Nam demonstrated Indian businesses’ high evaluation of Việt Nam’s great development potential and opportunities for fostering bilateral economic, trade, investment, and technology relations, he added.

Singh also underlined the countries’ long-standing ties and agreed to work closely with ministries, sectors, and localities of Việt Nam to carry out meaningful activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

At the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue close coordination and mutual support at international and regional forums, especially the United Nations and within the ASEAN - India cooperation framework.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, Deputy PM Đam highly valued India’s stance and expressed his hope that the country would continue supporting Việt Nam’s stance and ASEAN’s viewpoint.

The officials shared the view on the importance of safeguarding navigation and overflight freedom and peacefully resolving related disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Horasis India Meeting 2022 from September 25 to 27 is held by the Bình Dương provincial People’s Committee, the Horasis organisation, and the Federation of Indian Industry. It gathers about 500 delegates, including central and local officials of Vietnam, experts and leaders of the Horasis community, along with nearly 200 executives of enterprises from India, Việt Nam, and other countries. — VNS