PM Modi to hold virtual summit with Vietnamese counterpart on Monday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold a virtual summit with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday to discuss the future development of the comprehensive strategic partnership.

According to sources, this summit caps the series of high-level exchanges with Vietnam this year, which witnessed the visit of Vietnam's Vice President to India, in February and the telephonic conversation between the two Prime Ministers in April to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic. The two Prime Ministers also met online during the 17th ASEAN-India Summit last month.

Both countries enjoy a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and India is one of the very few countries with whom Vietnam has such characterisation for bilateral relations, sources said.

"Today, our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has diversified across wide-ranging areas - from political engagement to economic and development partnership, defence and security, energy partnership, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts. The recent intensity of high-level exchanges has also provided sustained momentum to our ties," sources added.

During Monday's summit, the two leaders will exchange views on wide-ranging bilateral, regional and global issues and provide guidance for the future development of India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They are also likely to issue a Joint Vision for this, sources said.

In addition, a number of agreements and announcements are likely, covering areas such as defence, energy, development partnership and healthcare. The implementation of India's Defence Line of Credit for high-speed guard boats for Vietnam will be further progressed. New opportunities in renewable energy cooperation will also be explored.

India's development and capacity building assistance to Vietnam through initiatives such as Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), ITEC and e-ITEC initiatives, PhD fellowships, as well as projects in water resource management in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, SDGs, digital connectivity and heritage conservation are also likely to be discussed, sources said.

They further said the timing of the Virtual Summit in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic will also allow the two leaders to take stock of the regional and global landscape and exchange views on their respective strategies to deal with the pandemic as well as the post-pandemic economic revival. In this context, the existing economic and trade linkages between the two countries provide a useful platform to explore new and resilient supply chains.

"Both India and Vietnam are important countries in the Indo-Pacific region with significant maritime interests. This will enable the two sides to explore potential cooperation based on India's IPOI and ASEAN's AOIP that Vietnam subscribes to. The two countries have shared interest in a free, open, peaceful, prosperous and a rules-based regional order," sources said.

India and Vietnam are also going to concurrently serve on the UN Security Council in 2021 as non-permanent members. According to the sources, this opens up new opportunities for closer cooperation and coordination on regional and international issues, as well as our shared agenda for the respect of international law and reformed multilateralism.

Both India and Vietnam bring voices of moderation and equity in global discourse, which is important as we discuss the role of international organisations in dealing with contemporary challenges, sources added.

India and Vietnam have a long-standing tradition of standing by each other during difficulties, showing sensitivity to each other's concerns and aspirations, and supporting each other's national development. The forthcoming Virtual Summit will reinforce these friendly sentiments and chart a new course for the future development of this important partnership.

(ANI)

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