Hanoi: On the second day of its visit to Vietnam, the Indian Parliamentary Delegation (IPD) led by Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, called on Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam H. E. Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, today.
In his interaction with the Secretary General, Shri Birla mentioned that Vietnam is one of India’s closest partners and an important pillar of our Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision. He added that India and Vietnam share a common outlook on issues of global and regional peace. Speaking about matters of regional and global importance, Shri Birla said that as countries facing similar challenges and sharing similar developmental perspectives, India and Vietnam can further expand their cooperation in areas such as climate change and sustainable development, health care and the digital economy.
Underlining the two countries’ shared vision in the defense sector, Shri Birla noted that the Indo-Vietnam defense partnership is growing rapidly in areas like defense industry, maritime security, capacity building programs and UN peacekeeping. He added that these defense ties are a major contributor to the peace, security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. Shri Birla urged the Vietnamese leader to make efforts to further strengthen this strategic partnership.
Speaking about trade and economic ties, Shri Birla was happy to note that India and Vietnam strive to build reliable and strong supply chains. He further remarked that despite the disruptions by the pandemic last year, the bilateral trade between the two countries stood at over $13 billion. Shri Birla called for widening of trade ties in order to ensure that bilateral trade of $15 billion could be achieved quickly.
Shri Birla also lauded the long-term and mutually beneficial partnership between India and Vietnam in the energy sector. He mentioned that ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) has been involved in offshore power projects in Vietnam for more than three decades. Shri Birla expressed hope that the OVL contract would be renewed for another 15 years.
Earlier, Shri Birla and Members of the IPD visited the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh in Ho Chi Minh City and laid a wreath.
