Hanoi –  Vietnam is an important pillar in India’s “Look East” policy and India wishes to further promote traditional friendship and a strategic partnership between the two countries. A statement made by the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday in the Vietnamese capital. 

Mukherjee made the remarks while meeting with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi during his state visit from Sunday to Wednesday.

The two leaders vowed to deepen the strategic partnership with a focus on boosting ties in politics, defense, security, economics, science-technology, oil and gas, culture, people connectivity, as well as in regional and multilateral cooperation.

The two sides agreed to bring Vietnam-India bilateral trade turnover to hit seven billion U.S. dollars in 2015 and 15 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, reported Vietnam’s state-run news agency VNA.

The two countries also agreed to maintain Vietnam-India ties at regional and international levels, including cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India, East Asia Summit, the MekongGanga Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement, South-South cooperation and in the United Nations, the VNA added.

After the talks, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his Indian counterpart witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements, covering customs, financing, farming, aviation services, as well as oil and gas development. Source: Xinhua

Photo: Indian President Shri Pranab Mukherjee (L) shakes hands with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang as they meet at the presidential palace in Hanoi ( AFP)