New Delhi, 31 Jul: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and “appreciated” his guidance on India-Vietnam bilateral ties.
Chinh arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night on a three-day visit that is aimed at further expanding the comprehensive strategic ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold extensive talks with his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday.
“Honoured to call on PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam during his State visit to India. Appreciate his guidance on our bilateral relationship and on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” Jaishankar said in a post on ‘X’.
“Look forward to his Summit meeting with PM @narendramodi tomorrow,” he said.
The strategic ties between India and Vietnam have been on an upswing in the last few years.
In July last year, India gifted its in-service missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam in reflection of growing bilateral strategic and defence partnership amid common concerns over China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea.
It was for the first time that India handed over a fully operational corvette to any friendly foreign country.
Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.
India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea.
India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests. (PTI)