Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang (R) and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during talks in New Delhi on June 19, 2023. (Photo: VOV correspondent in India)

He was speaking while receiving visiting Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang on Monday in New Delhi.

The two sides agreed that over the past time, defence cooperation between Vietnam and India has been promoted and achieved practical results in various areas, including the exchange of delegations, consultation and dialogue mechanisms, training, army services, defence industry, UN peacekeeping, and strategy research.

They said that India and Vietnam have similar views on many regional and international issues, and closely coordinated and supported each other at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the UN and ASEAN mechanisms of which India is a partner such as the ASEAN-India Summit and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides shared the view on settling disputes by peaceful measures, and respecting the diplomatic and legal processes in line with the principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).