India, Vietnam sign joint vision statement; look to enhance scope of military ties
Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, June 8
In an important development in India’s ‘Act East’ policy, India and Vietnam on Wednesday signed the “Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030”, which will significantly enhance the scope and scale of existing defence cooperation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh signed the joint vision statement after a meeting with General Phan Van Giang.
The two sides renewed interactions on expanding bilateral cooperation.
“Our close Defence and Security cooperation is an important factor of stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” tweeted Singh.
Had an excellent meeting with General Phan Van Giang, the Defence Minister of Vietnam. We renewed interactions on expanding bilateral cooperation. Our close Defence and Security cooperation is an important factor of stability in the Indo-Pacific region. pic.twitter.com/lI0RCDHZbU
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 8, 2022
The two sides also signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Logistics Support’.
This is significant as it allows Indian warships and military planes to re-fuel and seek supplies at Vietnamese bases.
Vietnam is one of the six countries locked in dispute with China over territorial demarcation of the South China Sea.
