Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Indian Foreign Minister Susham Swaraj- Photo: Hai Minh/VGP

(VOVworld)- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with visiting Indian Foreign Minister Susham Swaraj in Hanoi on Monday. The Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister highlighted Vietnam’s consistent policy of respecting its friendship and strategic partnership with India, supporting India’s Look East policy and India’s efforts to strengthen links with Southeast Asia. The Indian Foreign Minister praised Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and said the new Indian government considered Vietnam a pillar in its Look East policy. The two leaders agreed on the need to further promote bilateral cooperative mechanisms including the Inter-Governmental Committee for Cooperation in Economics, Science, Technology, Culture and Education, the Security-National Defence Dialogue, the Political Consultation between the two Foreign Ministries, the Subcommittee for Trade, the Subcommittee for Cooperation in Science and Technology, and the Joint Working group for Education, Training and Information Technology. Both sides agreed to facilitate their businesses to increase economic and investment cooperation. They discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern and pledged to support each other at regional and global forums including the ASEAN-India cooperation, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and cooperation within the UN framework. The two Foreign Ministers discussed recent complications in the East Sea, agreed on the importance of ensuring peace, security and safety of navigation, solving disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in line with international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully and seriously abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and early accomplishing a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

Also that day, the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and the Indian Foreign Minister co-chaired the opening of the ASEAN-India Scholar Network Workshop in Hanoi.