New Delhi, June 19 (FN Bureau) President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conveyed to visiting Vietnamese Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang that Hanoi is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a key partner of its Indo-Pacific Vision. She conveyed this when the Vietnamese Defence Minister called on her at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. President Murmu also said that bilateral defence cooperation is one of the strongest components of the bilateral partnership. According to a statement, “Welcoming General Giang and his delegation to India, the President said that India and Vietnam share a rich history of civilizational and cultural linkages spanning over 2,000 years. “She noted that the India-Vietnam ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ has widened the range of bilateral collaboration including in defence and security cooperation, trade and investment relations, energy security, development cooperation, cultural and people-to-people relations.
“She said that bilateral defence cooperation is one of the strongest elements of this partnership. She was happy to note that India-Vietnam defence engagement spans a wide spectrum, including capacity building, industry cooperation, Peacekeeping, and joint exercises,” it said. Earlier, the visiting Vietnamese Defence Minister held talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, during which they reviewed progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives. Both Ministers identified means to enhance existing areas of collaboration, especially in the field of defence industry cooperation, maritime security and multinational cooperation. Rajnath Singh also announced the gifting of indigenously-built in-service Missile Corvette INS Kirpan which will be a milestone in enhancing the capabilities of Vietnam People’s Navy. As part of his engagements, the Defence Minister of Vietnam also visited DRDO headquarters and discussed ways to enhance defence industrial capabilities by cooperation in defence research and joint production.