India, Vietnam draw up 3-year roadmap to strengthen ties

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 21

India and Vietnam on Monday adopted a “Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People” during an hour-long virtual summit between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

To implement this vision, a plan of action for 2021-2023 was also signed between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, which identifies concrete follow-up actions, said Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), at a media conference after the event.

India and Vietnam also signed seven agreements in scientific research, nuclear and renewable energy, petrochemicals, defence and cancer treatment.

In defence cooperation, a key pillar of bilateral ties, both PMs identified defence industry cooperation as a priority, with India symbolically handing over a high-speed guard boat and launching two other vessels manufactured in India.

“On Indo-Pacific, they affirmed that a peaceful, stable, secure, free, open, inclusive and rules-based region is in the common interest of all countries,” said Das. They also discussed the keel-laying of seven vessels being manufactured in Vietnam, under the $100 million Indian defence Line of Credit. The two sides signed the “Implementing Arrangement on Defence Industry Cooperation” agreement to ensure confidentiality of defence exchanges inked in 2013 to further defence manufacturing collaboration.

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