At the 17th meeting of Vietnam - India Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Photo: VNA)

New Delhi (VNA) – India’s The Diplomat newswirehas run an article entitled “India – Vietnam relations: Strong and Getting Stronger”by scholar Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan from the Observer Research Foundation,saying that the two countries continue deepening their relationship.

Thearticle said India and Vietnam recently held the 17th meetingof their bilateral Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific andTechnological Cooperation which was co-chaired by Indian External Affairs MinisterS. Jaishankar and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister PhamBinh Minh via a video conference.

Both sides were pleased with the outcomes of themeeting and the pace of bilateral relationship. Jaishankar was particularlyappreciative of Vietnam’s positive leadership of the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) this year, especially at a time when the region is battling theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Atthe meeting, the two sides took stock of the state of the India-Vietnamcomprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to step up their defence andeconomic partnership. They put special emphasis on areas such ascivil nuclear energy, space, marine sciences, and emerging technologies. Indiaand Vietnam also agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership “in line withIndia’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEAN’s Outlook onIndo-Pacific to achieve shared security, prosperity and growth for all in theregion.”

The IPOIis an initiative launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the EastAsia Summit in Thailand in November 2019. The initiative is centred aroundseven pillars, including maritime security; maritime ecology; maritime resources;capacity building and resources sharing; disaster risk reduction and management;science, technology, and academic cooperation; and trade connectivity andmaritime transport. India has called on Vietnam to partner on one of the sevenpillars of the IPOI.

Atthe recent Joint Commission meeting, India also reiterated its development andcapacity assistance for Vietnam through quick impact projects (QIP), IndianTechnical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and e-ITEC initiatives, Ph.D.fellowships and proposals in the area of water resources management in Vietnam’sMekong Delta region, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and digitalconnectivity.

TheIndian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in its press release also said India hasalready approved 12 QIPs for implementation in Vietnam, including seven inwater resources management in the Mekong Delta region and five linked toconstruction of educational infrastructure. 

Researchand training are also important in the bilateral agenda and this has translatedto a couple of memoranda of understanding between the India’s Sushma SwarajInstitute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, andbetween the National Maritime Foundation of India and the Vietnam Institute of Seas and Islands.

Keeping in mind the strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacificregion, India and Vietnam have decided to work in close coordination atmultilateral institutions such as the United Nations Security Council. They🌺also decided to continue the momentum in regional strategic platforms such asthose under ASEAN./.