(VOVworld) – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday began a state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The 4-day visit is evidence of Vietnam’s policy of promoting the strategic partnership with India.

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and Indian ambassador to Vietnam Preeti Saran

Vietnam and India established diplomatic relations in 1972 and a comprehensive partnership in 2003. During Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to India in 2007, the two countries signed a declaration establishing a Vietnam-India strategic partnership, the climax of the development of bilateral ties.

Traditional friendship creates momentum for bilateral cooperation

Developing the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with India is a priority of Vietnam’s foreign policy. India, meanwhile, considers Vietnam a pillar of its Look East policy. Vietnam and India have similar viewpoints and have cooperated closely in regional and global forums.

Leaders of both countries say that relations between Vietnam and India not only serve mutual political and economic benefits but stem from their time-honored friendship. Vu Quang Diem, former Vietnamese ambassador to India and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, said: “There has been no problem at all in Vietnam-India relations. We have cooperated well in all areas and many cooperative mechanisms have been established. I believe that leadership visits like that of Party leader Trong will take our relations to a new level.”

The strategic partnership between Vietnam and India is based on 5 pillars: politics, defense-security, economics-trade, culture, and personnel training. India has recognized Vietnam’s full market economy status. Despite the global economic downturn, two-way trade has increased steadily, reaching 4 billion USD in 2012. Vietnam and India have agreed to boost the figure to 7 billion USD by 2015 and reduce Vietnam’s import surplus. Since 2003 Vietnam and India have organized 8 strategic defense dialogues at the Deputy Minister level. Bilateral cooperation has increased in the research and application of nano-tech, bio-tech, IT, and remote sensing technology.

Fostering strategic partnership

Indian ambassador to Vietnam Preeti Saran comments on Mr. Trong’s visit: “We are honored and delighted that the General Secretary is visiting India. It is a landmark visit in our bilateral relations with Vietnam. It is his second visit to India. He visited two years ago in his capacity as the chairman of the National Assembly. But this is the first visit in 10 years by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam so we regard it as a very important visit because he is Vietnam’s highest political leader. We feel that his visit will give a major boost to our bilateral relations, which are very cordial and warm. Vietnam is a pillar of our Look East policy and we have a strategic partnership with Vietnam. Therefore we are very excited and keenly look forward to receiving the honorable General Secretary.”