Vietnam backs India's civil nuclear quest
NEW DELHI - India's quest for civil nuclear energy has received support from Vietnam which is seeking to boost the bilateral economic engagement by making it the 'focus' country for 2007.
Energy-rich Vietnam is ready to offer oil and gas blocks to India and favours increased investments from this country for which it wants establishment of dialogue mechanism.
To tap large potential of trade between the two nations, the South East Asian country is looking for various measures.
The measures particularly, are the improvement of connectivity through the launch of direct flights and establishment of shipping services.
"We support India in its peaceful use of nuclear energy like any other country," Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Quang Diem said.
Diplomatic relations
Diem was speaking on the occasion of 35th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
He noted that India had a track record of being a peace-loving country.
In this regard, he said Buddhism, whose roots were laid in India, was the "only culture that came to Vietnam in a peaceful manner".
Diem said his country also wanted India to be a permanent member of the expanded UN Security Council.
Supporting the growing ties between India and China, with which Vietnam also has a border dispute, he said it would contribute a lot to peace, stability and development of not only the region but also the entire world.
"Our political relations have been excellent but the economic and trade ties have not been commensurate with that," he said.
Emphasising that Vietnam has been recently making major economic strides like India, the Ambassador said it was time for the two countries to boost their trade and economic cooperation.
Press Trust of India - January 7, 2007.
Vietnam to seek Indian help to train for UN peace missions
Continuing with the defence cooperation with India in terms of training personnels, Vietnam now wants Indian help in training its forces for the UN peacekeeping missions.
Vietnam is yet to send troops for any UN peace operations, but wants to do so in order to boost its standing among the comity of nations. And, it feels India, with its vast experience in peacekeeping, can help them.
"India has been playing a major role in sending forces for various UN peace keeping missions for many years now. We are finalising on a proposal to seek India's help in training our forces for it," Vu Quang Diem, Vietnam ambassador to India, told The Indian Express today. He said both the countries will continue the mutual cooperation in defence and other fields. The defence cooperation includes training of personnels and exchange of experience.
There will be a joint working group between the two countries for a "mutli-faceted" cooperation between the two countries. The year 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of the full diplomatic relation between the two countries and India has been chosen as a focus 'country' by the Vietnam this year.
And the relationships between the two countries is poised for further growth with both Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem slated to visit India this year. Khiem along with a business delegation is expected to visit India in the first half of the year. President APJ Abdul Kalam is also expected to visit Vietnam this year.
Vietnam, said the ambassador, can help a great deal in realising Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's Look East policy. "Vietnam can be the link to the east and prosperity," Diem said.
Terming Vietnam's present relationship with China as "cordial and good", he said India and China are shaping the "course of a new era". The ambassador expressed happiness over the forthcoming East Asia summit, saying it will give a leg-up to the overall prosperity of the region. "It's heartening to know the Asian region too is moving the European Union direction for greater economic cooperation", he said.
"Currently the trade between the two countries is around $700 million and it can grow manifold considering that India is a major producer of most of the items that we import," he said, adding "We are giving special focus to India this year. There will be more focus on improving the economic ties and enhancing the traditional relationship that exists between the two countries."
The Indian Express - January 6, 2007.
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