Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and Vietnamese Minister of Defence Phan Văn Giang had official talks on Monday in New Delhi. — Photo from the People's Army newspaper

NEW DELHI — A high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence led by Minister Gen. Phan Văn Giang is paying an official visit to India from June 17-20 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

Singh hosted a welcome ceremony for Giang and the Vietnamese delegation on June 19 morning at the headquarters of the Indian Ministry of Defence.

The two sides held talks during which Singh warmly welcomed Giang and the delegation, affirming that their visit would contribute to tightening the friendship relationship between the peoples and armies of the two countries.

Singh affirmed Việt Nam's role as an important partner in India's Act East Policy. Cooperation between the two countries had increasingly been developing comprehensively in the fields of politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, defence-security, culture, education-training, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Indian minister emphasised that India wanted to strengthen its comprehensive cooperation relationship with Việt Nam, including in the field of defence.

The two ministers appreciated the relationship between the two countries, which is traditional and friendly, fostered by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, and is developing fruitfully.

Giang said that India was a close reliable friend of Việt Nam. On behalf of the Government and people of Việt Nam, Giang thanked the Government and people of India for giving the Vietnamese people valuable support during its past struggles for independence and today's national development.

The two sides agreed that over the past time, the defence cooperation between Việt Nam and India had been promoted following the frameworks, signed cooperation documents and agreements, and achieved practical results in areas including the exchange of delegations, consultation and dialogue mechanisms, training, army services, defence industry, United Nations peacekeeping, and strategy research.

In the coming time, based on the Joint Vision Statement on the Việt Nam-India defence partnership to 2030, and in line with the friendship, tradition, and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, their cooperation will be promoted in various areas.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, the two sides assessed that India and Việt Nam had similar views on many regional and international issues, and closely coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the United Nations and ASEAN mechanisms of which India is a partner such as the ASEAN-India Summit and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

Regarding the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) issue, the two sides shared the view on settling disputes by peaceful measures, and respecting the diplomatic and legal processes in line with the principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The visit of Minister Giang and the Vietnamese delegation has contributed to the further development of bilateral defence cooperation - an important and strategic pillar of the Việt Nam-India comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of the people of each country, and for peace and stability in the region and in the world. — VNS