General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm receives President of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association Kusum Jain in New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon (local time).  VNA/VNS Photo

NEW DELHI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm received President of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association Kusum Jain in New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon (local time) as part of his state visit to India.

General Secretary and President Tô Lâm expressed his pleasure at meeting Kusum Jain and other officials of the association. He thanked them for contributing “bricks” to building the house of Việt Nam-India solidarity.

The two countries share a deeply rooted traditional friendship, a valuable asset founded by President Hồ Chí Minh and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and continuously nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both nations, he said.

“Việt Nam always remembers the valuable support and assistance provided by the Indian people during Việt Nam’s struggle for independence in the past as well as in the country’s current development and nation-building efforts,” he stressed.

General Secretary and President Lâm affirmed that Việt Nam’s consistent policy is to attach importance to its traditional friendship with India. Bilateral relations have developed strongly over recent years, especially after the 10 years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Notably, people-to-people exchanges have continued to grow, contributing positively to enhancing mutual understanding and trust.

Kusum Jain, on behalf of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association, welcomed General Secretary and President Lâm and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on their visit to India. She expressed admiration for Việt Nam’s achievements after 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal) as well as the country’s current strategic development policies, expressing confidence in Việt Nam’s breakthrough growth in the coming period.

She also praised the determination of the Communist Party of Việt Nam in fighting corruption, wastefulness, and negative practices, noting that the results achieved have contributed to purifying the administrative apparatus and building a government for the people.

At the meeting, members of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association delegation shared their affection for Việt Nam and its people, as well as their respect for President Hồ Chí Minh - the great leader of the Vietnamese nation. They affirmed their trust in and support for the strategic policies Việt Nam is implementing.

They proposed strengthening cultural exchanges and people-to-people dialogue between the two countries. They also expressed a desire to cooperate in publishing books about President Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam and its people, and the country’s Đổi Mới process over the past 40 years and in the years ahead. Other proposals included opening Vietnamese language classes in Kolkata with Vietnamese teachers and translating literary works from Vietnamese into Hindi and from Hindi into Vietnamese.

General Secretary and President Lâm acknowledged and highly appreciated the role of people-to-people diplomacy and the positive contributions of Indian people’s organisations, including the India-Vietnam Friendship Association. He suggested that the association continue to promote and strengthen exchanges between the people of the two countries, especially in culture, education, Buddhism, innovation, and local-level cooperation.

He noted that the formation of the Indian community in Việt Nam and the Vietnamese community in India has contributed to strengthening the increasingly close relationship between the two countries.

Việt Nam’s top leader stated that during this visit, leaders of both sides had discussed measures to create breakthroughs in bilateral cooperation, commensurate with the potential and expectations of their people.

He agreed with the proposals and recommendations made by the India-Vietnam Friendship Association and expressed confidence that the association, together with the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, would continue to play a core role in spreading positive inspirations and promoting friendship, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. — VNA/VNS