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Rajnath Singh arrives in Vietnam for a 3-day visit to further defense ties

June 7, 2022
Bharat Times

Rajnath Singh attended a community event organized by the Indian Embassy in Hanoi.

Hanoi:

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday on a three-day visit, reflecting growing parallels in maritime security cooperation with the major Southeast Asian country amid China’s growing muscular resilience in the region.

Mr Singh was received at the airport by the Ambassador of India to Vietnam Pranay Verma and senior officials of the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam.

“Hon’ble RM, Shri Rajnath Singh arrived in Hanoi on an official visit to Vietnam from 8-10 June 2022. He was received at the airport by Amb. Pranay Verma and senior officials of the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam.” India said on Twitter.

In New Delhi, the Defense Ministry said Rajnath Singh’s visit to Vietnam from June 8 to 10 is aimed at further strengthening the bilateral defense ties as well as the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

It said the defense minister will hold extensive talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Phan Van Giang to exchange views on regional and global issues of common interest, besides exploring new initiatives to further strengthen defense ties. attention will be given.

Mr Singh is also scheduled to meet Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin.

Vietnam, an important country of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the strategic South China Sea region.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s aggressive military maneuvers in the region.

China also claims almost all of the disputed South China Sea, although Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

India has oil exploration projects in Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. India and Vietnam have been enhancing their maritime security cooperation over the years to safeguard common interests.

“At the Hong Ha Shipyard in Hai Phong, the Defense Minister will preside over the handing over of 12 high-speed guard boats built under the Indian government’s $100 million Defense Line of Credit to Vietnam.”

“The project is significant in the context of growing defense industry cooperation with Vietnam and exemplifies Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India, Make for the World’,” the ministry said in a statement.

During his visit to Vietnam, Mr. Singh will also visit the country’s training institutes in Nha Trang, including the Telecom University, where an Army Software Park is being set up with a $5 million grant from India.

He will also participate in a community event organized by the Indian Embassy in Hanoi and interact with the Indian community.

“The visit of the Defense Minister on the historic occasion of 50 years of establishment of India-Vietnam diplomatic relations and 75 years of India’s independence will further strengthen bilateral defense cooperation and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” the ministry said.

The relations between the two countries were elevated to the level of “strategic partnership” during the visit of the then Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.

In 2016, during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Vietnam, bilateral ties were elevated to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.

Vietnam has become an important partner in India’s Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision.

Last week, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Saurabh Kumar visited Vietnam for the 12th round of political consultations and the ninth round of strategic talks in Hanoi.

(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)