Mr Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the Prime Minister of Vietnam, called on the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (January 24, 2018).
Welcoming the Vietnamese Prime Minister to India, the President said that India is delighted to host him as a guest of honour at the Republic Day celebrations. India is also celebrating 25 years of its partnership with ASEAN. This makes his presence even more special.
The President said that Vietnam is a preferred partner for India in ASEAN. Our economic engagement has witnessed a remarkable growth. We need to redouble our efforts to reach the target of US $ 15 billion in bilateral trade by 2020. He stated that India remains committed to encouraging its industry to explore investment opportunities in Vietnam in pharma, solar, education and other sectors. We also need to enhance cooperation in the oil and gas sector, including through trilateral cooperation with friendly countries.
The President said that India-Vietnam relations are on an upward curve. Last year, we have celebrated ‘Year of Friendship’ to mark our warm and close ties. He thanked the Vietnamese Prime Minister for Vietnam’s support for India at various multilateral fora and expressed hope that this visit will give further boost to India-Vietnam relations.