Vietnam News Agency (VNA)

Red carpet rolled out for Prime Minister in India

06/07/2007 -- 11:06 PM

New Delhi (VNA) - A red carpet welcome was rolled out at the Indian Presidential Palace, New Delhi, on July 6 for Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his wife on their State-level visit to the South Asian country.

Directly following the welcome ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh met with the assembled media.

At the event, PM Manmohan Singh said he was delighted with the growing and wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries.

He affirmed his resolve to promote ties in order to reach a strategic partnership and said that would help pave the way for bilateral cooperation to grow broadly in all fields of mutual interest.

The Indian PM also stated that the increased cooperation will serve the two countries' sustainable development and prosperity and will contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole.

Following the meeting with the media, PM Dung was taking through a host of activities, including paying a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial monument, visiting President Abdul Kalam, and meeting with several Indian leaders.

At his courtesy visit to President Abdul Kalam, PM Dung highlighted India's aid and cooperation, especially in the fields of science and technology, education and training, credit and agriculture.

Discussing bilateral coordination at regional and international forums, the Vietnamese leader reaffirmed his country's support for India's bid to become a permanent member of the expanded United Nations Security Council while appreciating the South Asian country for backing its own run for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in the 2008-09 term.

At the meeting with the Indian National Congress Party Chairwoman Sonia Gandhi and other leaders, PM Dung thanked the Party and the Indian people for their assistance to the Vietnamese people in the struggle for national liberation and re-unification and the present course of national construction.

He said he was pleased to know that the Indian Government, under the leadership governance of the Indian National Congress Party, has been persistent in its policy of enhancing ties with Viet Nam.

During his busy working agenda, PM Dung also met Speaker of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) Shri Somnath Chatterjee in which he asked the congressman to call on political circles to make efforts to elevate the two countries' relationship into a strategic partnership.

Such efforts would bring the two countries' ties and the relations between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Indian House of the People to a new level, PM Dung stressed.

At a meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of India A.B Bardhan, PM Dung highlighted the reliable and close relations between the two parties.

The Vietnamese public are highly concious of the support given by the CPI and the Indian people, the Vietnamese leader said.

PM Dung also met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Prakash Karat and reiterated Viet Nam’s wish to further strengthen Viet Nam-Indian ties.

While receiving the leader of the Opposition of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), PM Dung spoke highly of the contributions of the Party president Shri L. K. Advani and the BJP to the consolidation of Viet Nam-India relations, saying that the two parties need further exchanges.

At all the meetings, Indian leaders warmly welcomed the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s visit, describing it as highly important to the two countries as they have recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Delivering the opening speech at the Viet Nam-India Business Forum, PM Dung said the Vietnamese State and Government always created favourable conditions for Indian investors in Viet Nam, especially Indian major groups to invest in fields such as information technology, electricity, oil and gas, metallurgy, coal, transport, agriculture, fisheries, food processing, health care and medicine.

At the forum, PM Dung witnessed the signing of a 300 million USD cooperation agreement on hydro power plant construction, a 200 million USD joint venture contract on oil and gas exploitation and an agreement on training.

During the visit, businesses of the two countries signed contracts and business agreements worth a combined 4.5 billion USD.-Enditem

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