The consensus was reached during phone talks between Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on April 16.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA)

Jaishankar congratulated Minister Bui Thanh Son on his appointment as Vietnam’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and praised achievements the country has recorded over the past time, especially in external affairs, notably its ASEAN Chairmanship 2020.

The ministers rejoiced at the steps of development of the Vietnam-India comprehensive strategic partnership, and concurred to maintain the existing cooperation mechanisms.

Vietnam and India will work to strengthen collaboration in national defence and security, and raise the two-way trade to 15 billion USD, they said.

Minister Bui Thanh Son appreciated India’s support for Vietnam’s sustainable development goals through quick impact projects (QIPs).

Vietnam backs India’s “Act East Policy”, he said, suggesting the two countries step up cooperation and support each other at multilateral forums, especially in 2021 when both countries serves as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed India’s consistent stance on the East Sea and spoke highly of India's role at regional and international forums, particularly the within the framework of the ASEAN-India partnership and the UN./.

Source: VNA