State President Lương Cường (right) meets with Indian Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju in HCM City on May 6. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — State President Lương Cường expressed gratitude to the Indian people for their wholehearted assistance to Việt Nam in the past struggle for national independence as well as in the current process of national construction and development while receiving Indian Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju in HCM City on Tuesday.

President Cường welcomed Rijiju’s attendance at the United Nations Day of Vesak being held in HCM City, a Buddhist celebration hosted by Việt Nam for the fourth time. He thanked Rijiju for bringing Lord Buddha's sarira, a sacred treasure of India, to Việt Nam, describing the gesture as a testament to the deep cultural and religious ties between the two nations.

The State leader praised the Việt Nam-India traditional friendship nurtured by late Vietnamese President Hồ Chí Minh, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and generations of leaders and people of both countries, calling it an invaluable asset to be preserved for future generations.

Expressing his satisfaction with the strong development of the Việt Nam - India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he welcomed the continued bilateral engagement through high-level visits and the effective realisation of cooperation mechanisms and signed agreements. He also proposed enhancing experience sharing in law building, especially those related to the removal of legal bottlenecks to propel growth in both countries.

Rijiju, for his part, expressed his admiration for Việt Nam's well-organised hosting of the Vesak Day, noting that it stood out among similar celebrations he had attended in the world.

He welcomed the increasingly robust Việt Nam - India relations, which now span politics, economy, and socio-culture. He once again extended congratulations from Indian leaders to the Vietnamese Party, State, and people on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30), and conveyed deep respect for the resilience and courage of the Vietnamese people during their struggle for independence.

Both sides agreed to further foster bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, and economic engagement to make it commensurate with the potential of the Việt Nam - India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They also expressed their commitment to expanding collaboration in national defence-security, education, sci-tech, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Rijiju proposed accelerating the approved defence cooperation projects under India’s $500 million credit package for Việt Nam and increasing partnership in developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, in line with the existing bilateral agreement.

Agreeing with President Cường on the need to further increase mutual support at multilateral forums, Rijiju thanked Việt Nam for joining the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and finalising procedures to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

The minister reiterated India’s commitment to its “Act East” policy, identifying ASEAN, and Việt Nam in particular, as a pillar of its foreign policy. On the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue, he reaffirmed India’s consistent stance on supporting the principles of respecting international law, including the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

President Cường emphasised the need for closer consultation and cooperation on multilateral issues amid growing global uncertainties, for the sake of peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. — VNA/VNS