Dr. Jaishankar extended his condolences to the Vietnamese leader over the recent passing of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, an eminent leader and a close friend of India.

He welcomed Chinh as one of the first foreign leaders to pay a State visit to India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was re-elected for the third time, and affirmed that the Indian Government attaches great importance to the visit which is expected to bring strong momentum to Vietnam - India relations in the coming time.

Chinh appreciated the chief diplomats of Vietnam and India co-chairing the 18th meeting of the Vietnam - India Joint Committee in September 2023, as well as their efforts to complete the Action Programme to implement the Vietnam - India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2024 - 2028 with many new initiatives.

He expected that through the visit the relationship between the two countries would enter a new era of trust, deeper understanding, and greater efficiency, meeting the aspirations of the leaders and people of the two countries.

Chinh said the focus of his visit will be on measures to increase bilateral cooperation in all fields, including in economics, trade, and investment, striving to raise their two-way trade turnover to US$20 billion in the coming time from nearly US$15 billion recorded last year.

The two sides will also discuss measures to expand cooperation into new fields such as green transformation, digital transformation, innovation, semiconductor chips, and artificial intelligence.

The Prime Minister asked the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with relevant agencies in reviewing and implementing high-level agreements.

The two sides also agreed to continue cooperation and coordination at regional and international forums, and agreed to support ASEAN’s stance on the East Sea.

Dr. Jaishankar affirmed that he would make efforts to cooperate with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote bilateral relations in the near future.

VOV