President Tran Dai Quang expressed his pleasure at the Vietnam-India friendly relations that have grown comprehensively in a multitude of fields at a June 13^th reception in Hanoi for visiting Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

President Tran Dai Quang and visiting Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (Photo: VOV)

The Vietnamese State leader thanked the State and Government of India for their warm welcome given to the Vietnamese delegation during its India visit in March, emphasizing that during the visit, the two sides had reached important common perceptions in order to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership in the time ahead.

He highlighted the Vietnam visit by the Indian Defence Minister as a specific manifestation of the good traditional friendship between the two nations, helping to promote friendly relations, cooperation, mutual trust and understanding between their armed forces.

President Quang welcomed the outcomes of talks between the two Defense Ministers on the basis of achieved cooperation results over recent years and suggested the two defence ministries’ leaders direct relevant agencies to study feasible measures in order to comprehensively and effectively realize defense cooperation contents as agreed upon, such as delegation exchange, training cooperation, military and defence cooperation, strategic development research, and UN peacekeeping operations there by positively contributing to the maintenance of the peaceful environment and development of each country and the region.

He also asked for India’s support to improve Vietnam’s national defense industry capacity and landmine clearance as well as dioxin detoxification.

The President affirmed the Vietnamese Party and State’s readiness to offer favorable conditions for the two defence ministries to boost fruitful cooperation as a better way of deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

President Quang said he hopes that with leaders' high political determination and mutual trust for common development, the ties of friendship and cooperation would grow steadily for the benefit of each country's people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

On this occasion, through the Indian Minister, the President extended his best regards to President Ran Nath Kovind and other senior leaders of India.

For her part, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed her delight at the effective cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of national defence over the past years.

The Indian Defence Minister said that during talks with her Vietnamese counterpart Minister Ngo Xuan Lich on June 13^th morning, the two sides agreed to maintain existing cooperation mechanisms such as deputy ministerial-level defence policy dialogue, meetings of the Joint Working Group on bilateral defence cooperation, and consultations between Vietnamese and Indian officers of naval, land and air forces.

India wishes to cooperate with Vietnam on personnel training, defense industry and strategic research, she told her host./.

VNF/VOV