Vietnamese President meets with Indian counterpart

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) and his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind (Source: VNA)

President Kovind spoke highly of the ongoing visit to India by President Quang, his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam, saying that it helped to tighten the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

President Quang thanked President Kovind, his spouse and the Indian people for their warm welcome and invited the Indian leader and his spouse to visit Vietnam at a convenient time.

The two leaders stressed that Vietnam and India have a time-honoured traditional relationship with a lot of historic and cultural similarities, whose foundation was laid by late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and late President Ho Chi Minh and has been nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both countries.

President Quang suggesting both nations increase education among their younger generations about the bilateral relationship so that they could preserve and uphold the fine tradition.

Both host and guest noted with pleasure at the strong development of the bilateral relations, especially in the fields of politics, defence-security, economy-trade, science-technology and culture-education.

The two Presidents agreed to further step up cooperation in these spheres and tap potential and cooperation opportunities in the areas of energy, infrastructure, information technology, and green and hi-tech agriculture, as well as economic, cultural and people-to-people connectivity.

President Kovind highly evaluated Vietnam’s important role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and thanked Vietnam for the efforts in its capacity as a coordinator of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership for 2015-2018 which brought practical results to the relationship. He affirmed that India backs ASEAN’s centrality in the regional architecture.

The two sides agreed to continue supporting each other at regional and international forums. President Kovind reaffirmed that India backs Vietnam’s bid to run for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 term and thanked Vietnam for its commitment to supporting India’s candidacy for the post in the 2021-2022 term.

President Kovind asserted that India always treasures the principles of ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation, observing international law, settling disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, not using or threatening to use force, and respecting legitimate interests of medium and small nations in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.

The Indian President applauded the organisation of “Vietnamese Cultural Days in India” on the occasion of President Quang’s visit and thanked Vietnam for its favourable conditions for the organisation of the International Yoga Day in Vietnam.

In the evening of March 3, President Ram Nath Kovind hosted a banquet in honour of President Tran Dai Quang, his spouse and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam./.

VNA