Rajnath Singh meets Vietnam Prez, vows to deepen defence cooperation

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Hanoi and met Vietnamese President To Lam, reaffirming India's commitment to deepen the defence cooperation which is a key pillar of the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called on the President of Vietnam, To Lam, and reaffirmed India's commitment to further deepen Defence cooperation with Hanoi.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh said that he conveyed the warm greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Vietnamese President. "Honoured to call on the General Secretary (Communist Party) and President of Vietnam during my visit to Vietnam. Conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reaffirmed India's commitment to further deepen Defence cooperation, which is a key pillar of the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries," Rajnath Singh said in a post on X.

"India and Vietnam share a strong bond rooted in mutual trust, shared values and close cooperation in defence, security and regional stability," he added.

Strengthening Defence Partnership

Rajnath Singh also held a ministerial-level bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang, where the two countries reviewed the defence partnership and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in the areas of maritime security, defence industry, training, and regional stability.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh shared the outcome of the "effective" bilateral meeting and committed to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. "There was an effective bilateral meeting with Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence of Vietnam. Both sides reviewed the increasingly developing defence partnership between India and Vietnam and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in the areas of maritime security, defence industry, training, and regional stability. India remains committed to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam," he said.

Rajnath Singh, with Phan Van Giang, also inaugurated the Language Laboratory established at the Vietnam Air Force Officer College.

Deepening Indo-Pacific Engagement

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Hanoi on Monday, kicking off the Vietnam leg of his two-nation tour aimed at deepening India's strategic and defence partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.

The visit comes shortly after the state visit of To Lam to New Delhi, signalling growing momentum in bilateral defence ties between the two countries.

During that visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and To Lam reaffirmed that defence and security cooperation is a key pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

India and Vietnam agreed to further strengthen cooperation and enhance engagements in both traditional and emerging areas of defence cooperation and decided to enhance defence systems procurement between the two countries.

Vietnam is the first leg of Rajnath Singh's two-nation tour. He will subsequently travel to South Korea for the second leg of the visit, where defence manufacturing, military industry collaboration and technology cooperation are expected to dominate the agenda. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)