Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets with Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm called for stronger and more effective Việt Nam–India defence cooperation as he met Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh in Hà Nội on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese leader also highlighted the momentum to translate high-level commitments into deeper and practical collaboration under their bilateral ties.

Welcoming the Indian officer’s official visit to Việt Nam, the top leader said it helped realise the newly upgraded Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reflecting the two countries’ shared vision, strategic convergence and commitment to substantive cooperation.

He also thanked Indian leaders and people for their warm reception during his recent state visit to India, noting that the outcomes had ushered the bilateral ties into a new phase.

Việt Nam highly evaluates India’s role and contributions to regional peace, stability and development, and always regards India as one of its most important partners, the top leader said, stressing Việt Nam’s support for India’s greater global and regional engagement, as well as its international initiatives.

He also underlined Việt Nam’s readiness to act as a bridge connecting India with the region, thereby contributing to the building of an environment of peace, stability and respect for international law.

Highlighting the strong traditional friendship and high-level political trust between the two countries, General Secretary and President Lâm said the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will further consolidate bilateral political trust and open up broader cooperation opportunities across sectors.

He called for increased high-level exchanges, stronger trade and investment links, expanded collaboration in science and technology, and closer people-to-people connectivity.

The top leader also welcomed the outcomes of talks between Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Phan Văn Giang, noting the growing practical cooperation between the two defence ministries. He urged the two sides to fully and effectively implement existing agreements to deepen defence cooperation.

For his part, Singh noted that his visit, shortly after the Vietnamese leader’s trip to India, underscored the Indian government’s strong commitment to implementing high-level agreements and advancing the bilateral ties.

The minister said Indian leaders, media and public opinion had been impressed by the outcomes of General Secretary and President Lâm’s visit, affirming that it held special significance, opening a new chapter of deep and strategic cooperation in the bilateral relationship.

He affirmed that Việt Nam is one of the most important partners in India’s “Act East” policy and its broader strategies for strengthening relations with the region.

Singh said India will continue to boost defence ties, expand high-quality human resource training programmes, and work closely with Việt Nam to complete ongoing cooperation projects under existing credit and defence support packages, while considering new and appropriate forms of assistance.

He also pledged to coordinate with relevant Indian ministries and sectors to further enhance cooperation in science and technology and improve air and maritime connectivity.

The two sides underscored their shared perspectives on regional and global issues, agreeing to maintain regular exchanges of delegations, strengthen dialogue mechanisms — including defence policy consultations — and enhance information sharing and coordination at multilateral forums, particularly ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ADMM-Plus.

The Vietnamese leader expressed his belief that with strong determination of leaders of both countries, Việt Nam–India relations will enter a new era, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. — VNA/VNS