New Delhi: Insisting that signing of the defence logistics sharing pact with the USA is a “fundamental departure” from India’s policy of “strategic military neutrality”, Congress demands the contents of the agreement be placed in public domain as the Modi government has acted “unilaterally without national consensus”. “The range of agreements signed just a while ago point to the diversity and depth of our cooperation”, he said.
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On Saturday, Modi will meet with the top Vietnamese leadership, including General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. “Indian investments in Vietnam are now at about 1.1 billion dollars, and would be significantly enhanced upon implementation of large infrastructure projects such as Tata Power’s Long Phu – II 1,320 MW thermal power project with an estimated cost of 2.2 billion dollars”, he added.
“Prime Minister Phuc and I would also be discussing regional cooperation and stability and our multilateral cooperation”, he added.
Swarup took to Twitter, and said, “A renewed warmth with Vietnam”.
“He asked for more Indian participation in oil and gas sectors of Vietnam”.
India and the U.S. have been calling for freedom of passage in the global waters, much to the discomfort to Beijing, whose claim over SCS was recently struck down by an worldwide tribunal in favour of the Philippines.
In addition, Vietnam and India put priorities on cooperation in atomic energy, science-technology, education, healthcare, culture, tourism, people-to-people exchange, enhancement of aviation and navigation connectivity, among others. India’s Larsen & Toubro will build offshore high-speed patrol boats for Vietnamese Coast Guards, while an agreement was signed on programme of cooperation in the United Nations peacekeeping matters. Next year, we will celebrate the forty fifth (45th) anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and tenth (10th) anniversary of establishment of the Strategic Partnership between our two countries.
Modi also announced a grant of Dollars 5 million for the establishment of a Software Park in the Telecommunications University in Nha Trang.
Both leaders said ties would be upgraded to the level of “comprehensive strategic relationship” and bilateral trade would be nearly doubled to $15 billion by 2020.
We also recognized the need to cooperate in responding to emerging regional challenges, ” Modi said after meeting his Vietnamese counterpart.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a stilt house where President Ho Chi Minh lived on Saturday.
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India and Vietnam also called on all states to resolve disputes through peaceful means without threats or use of force and to exercise self-restraint.
