Hanoi (VNA) – The comprehensive strategic partnership betweenVietnam and India is enjoying dynamic and substantive development, according toVietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh.

The ambassador granted an interview to the media on the Vietnam-Indiaties on the occasion of the 30th Diplomatic Conference to be held from August12-17 in Hanoi.

Ambassador Thanh said there are four outstanding points in the twocountries’ relationship during the past two years.

First of all, the bilateral political relationship and mutual trust havebeen strengthened thanks to the constant exchange of high-level visits. Duringthe visits, the two countries have signed 17 more agreements on cooperationacross the fields.

Second, defence-security cooperation has reached the highest level ever,with its scope covering all military forces and the content expanded beyondinformation sharing and training to the production of military equipment. Thetwo countries also conducted their first joint naval exercise. India has becomethe most important defence cooperative partner of Vietnam, the ambassador said.

Third, economic partnership has thrived with two-way trade registeringan impressive growth of more than 40 percent, from 5.6 billion USD in 2016 to7.6 billion USD in 2017. Ambassador Thanh cited statistics of Vietnam customsthat showed bilateral trade turnover touched 5.44 billion USD in the first halfof the year, rising 48 percent on a yearly basis. On this pace, the figure for2018 is expected to surpass 10 billion USD. 

Fourth, cultural diplomacy is booming on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties and 10th year of the strategicpartnership between the two countries. Besides such activities as the Vietnam CultureDays, photo and painting exhibitions, film festival and art performances, aVietnam Book space was set up in India for the first time ever, and a VietnamStudy Centre was established in New Delhi.

Ambassador Thanh underlined the role of the Vietnamese Embassy in Indiain bolstering bilateral relations across the fields.

He said the embassy has organized many trade, investment and tourismpromotion events to introduce Vietnam to potential Indian partners, while engagingin addressing problems hindering bilateral economic cooperation.

Thanh noted that the embassy has played a part in the opening of adirect flight service between Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi by Vietjet Air,which is scheduled for October this year. An Indian airline, the Indigo alsohas a plan to open a direct route to Vietnam next year.

The ambassador said the Vietnam-India relationship has a firmfoundation, which is the mutual trust based on shared strategic interests andgreat potential for cooperation. He expressed the belief that there is a brightprospect ahead for the bilateral partnership.-VNA