Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart discussed maritime security, defence industry, training, and regional stability.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday met his Vietnamese counterpart, General Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi, where they reviewed the growing partnership between the two countries and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in maritime security, defence industry, training and regional stability.
As per a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence, the two sides exchanged views on regional and global security developments of mutual interest and emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.
The statement said they discussed avenues to expand cooperation in areas like military training, defence industry collaboration, maritime security, capacity building, United Nations peacekeeping, cyber security and high-level exchanges. They also agreed to enhance cooperation between the defence forces through regular dialogues, joint exercises and exchange programmes.
The bilateral defence engagements have expanded over the years and include wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, like defence policy dialogues, military-to-military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity-building and training programmes, cooperation in UN peacekeeping, ship visits and bilateral exercises.
The statement said Rajnath reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening India’s enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, while reiterating India’s resolve to support that country’s defence modernisation and capacity enhancement initiatives. “General Phan Van Giang appreciated India’s continued support and underscored the long-standing friendship and growing strategic partnership between the two nations,” it said.
The statement further noted that the two defence ministers virtually inaugurated the language lab at Air Force Officers’ College in Vietnam, which has been established with Indian assistance.
Rajnath also announced the setting up of an artificial intelligence lab at Telecommunications University in Nha Trang. Additionally, the Military College of Telecommunications Engineering, India, and Telecommunications University, Vietnam also signed an MoU in the field of artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
Rajnath also spoke to Vietnamese President To Lam and reiterated India’s commitment to further deepening bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors, including defence and security, trade and investment, maritime cooperation, connectivity, digital transformation and people-to-people exchanges.
“The two leaders reaffirmed the strong and enduring friendship between India and Vietnam, rooted in shared civilisational links, mutual trust and common strategic interests. They expressed satisfaction at the continued growth of the India–Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” the defence ministry statement said.
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