Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a retreat in New Delhi on August 1. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

NEW DELHI — Indian scholars lauded the outcomes of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s visit to India from July 30 – August 1 while talking with Vietnam News Agency correspondents based in New Delhi.

Prof. Prabir De from the ASEAN-India Centre at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) hailed the visit as highly effective and ground-breaking.

India considers Việt Nam a key pillar in its Look East policy and an important partner in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). The discussions during the visit extensively covered various cooperation areas, including economy, national defence, development partnerships and cultural exchanges. Additionally, both sides also discussed global and regional issues, he said.

Among the agreements signed during the visit, Prabir De said he was impressed by the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in customs capacity building between the General Department of Việt Nam Customs and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) of India, alongside Việt Nam's decision to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

Nutan Kapoor Mahawar, Joint Secretary of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), expressed great pleasure in hosting PM Chính at the ICWA office on August 1. She said India and Việt Nam share a comprehensive strategic partnership encompassing politics, economy, people-to-people relations, and archaeological conservation of ancient Hindu sites in Vietnam.

The two countries enjoy strong trade ties and are exploring further enhancement of their defence cooperation - a strategic partnership. They are also aligned on the Indo-Pacific Vision, she said.

Atul Aneja, Advisor at the Asia Vision Institute, commented that India and Việt Nam need to further promote their relationship across various sectors, ranging from economy, army and to national defence, as highlighted by PM Chính.

India believes that no single pole can determine the global order. Asia must embrace a multipolar approach, he said.

Speaking highly of PM Chinh's speech at the ICWA, he noted that the India-Việt Nam relationship is growing with deep historical people-to-people relations tracing back to the introduction of Buddhism from India to Việt Nam. He also stressed that both nations share core values of equality and welfare. — VNS