India and Vietnam have agreed to elevate bilateral relations from Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This was announced in a joint press statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi. Mr Modi said that this will provide a new direction, momentum and substance to bilateral relations. He said that common efforts of the two countries will also contribute to stability, security and prosperity of the region.
The Prime Minister also announced a line of credit of 500 million US Dollars to Vietnam to facilitate deeper defence cooperation. Mr Modi said that new trade and business opportunities will be tapped to achieve the 15 billion Dollar trade target by 2020.
Later speaking at a banquet hosted by his Vietnamese counterpart, Mr Modi said, Vietnam is a strong pillar of India's Act East Policy and bilateral ties are based on strong mutual trust, understanding and convergence of views on various regional and international issues.
Earlier, India and Vietnam signed 12 agreements in different areas of cooperation including exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, double taxation avoidance, co-operation on UN peacekeeping operation, health, cyber security, advanced IT training, sharing of shipping information between the Navies of the two countries and mutual recognition of standards. The two countries also agreed to celebrate 2017 as the Year of Friendship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the 15th century QUAN SU PAGODA in Hanoi, the headquarters of Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam. Highlighting the common heritage of two thousand years, Mr Modi said, Buddhism which took the sea route, travelled to Vietnam in its purest form from India. He said, we should walk the path of peace that brings happiness and prosperity, while war only brings transient greatness.
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