President To Lam expressed his gratitude to the Indian government for its emergency aid, which included 35 tons of goods valued at 1 million USD, to assist Vietnamese regions impacted by Typhoon Yagi.

He emphasized that this generous support reflects the strong traditional friendship and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and India.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the rapid development of bilateral relations. President To Lam highlighted the significance of the Joint Statement on strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's recent visit to India, which introduced several key areas of cooperation aligned with the interests and aspirations of both nations.

The two leaders agreed to continue coordinating closely to effectively implement the outcomes of high-level visits and the Action Plan for the 2024-2028 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They also discussed the importance of maximizing the potential in areas such as economic trade, investment, defense, culture, tourism, aviation, and people-to-people exchanges.

Vietnam’s top leader is confident that the two nations will soon reach the target of 20 billion USD in annual bilateral trade, with expectations to exceed 30 billion USD by 2030, doubling the current figure from 2023.

Regarding regional cooperation, Party Chief and President To Lam reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to deepening ASEAN-India relations, pledging Vietnam's active participation in strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and India.

He also expressed hope that India will continue to support ASEAN's central role and assist in building a stronger ASEAN Community, particularly in addressing shared challenges.

Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's desire to further bolster the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. He assured that India would continue to pursue its "Act East" policy, which emphasizes stronger, more effective ties with ASEAN and Vietnam. Key areas of focus include digital connectivity, the digital economy, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and maritime security.

Defense and peacekeeping cooperation

On the same day, General Phan Van Giang, Minister of Defense of Vietnam, met with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. Minister Giang praised the United Nations' role in maintaining international law, promoting peace, preventing conflict, and addressing global challenges.

As a member of the United Nations, Vietnam actively adheres to the UN Charter and its resolutions. In defense and security, Vietnam has been an active participant in non-traditional security efforts, including peacekeeping, disarmament, and combating transnational crime.

Vietnam has sent more than 900 personnel, including military and police officers, to participate in UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Abyei over the past decade. Vietnam also maintains one of the highest proportions of female personnel in peacekeeping missions, with over 14% participation.

Minister Giang expressed Vietnam’s interest in expanding its contributions to peacekeeping efforts, both in scope and scale. He also emphasized Vietnam’s commitment to sending more personnel to UN-organized activities.

Under-Secretary-General Lacroix praised Vietnam’s increasingly active and effective participation in peacekeeping operations, noting that Vietnamese personnel have demonstrated professionalism, competence, and responsibility in their assignments.

He further highlighted how Vietnam’s contributions have enhanced the overall effectiveness of the missions in which they are deployed and expressed the UN’s support for Vietnam’s efforts to strengthen its peacekeeping capabilities.

Tran Thuong