New Delhi: On Wednesday, India and Vietnam signed a joint vision statement on the India-Vietnam defense partnership for 2030, stating that "this will significantly increase the scope and scope of existing defense cooperation." The document was signed in Hanoi by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh during a three-day visit to Vietnam, and National Defense Minister of the South East, Phan Van Giang.
The two ministers also settled on the initial finalisation of a $ 500 million Defence Line of Credit to Vietnam, and said "implementation of the projects shall add substantially to Vietnam's Defence capabilities" and will also push the government's vision of "make in India, make for the world'. A statement from the Defence Ministry added that they also held "wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements and regional and global issues".
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Logistics Support was also signed by the two countries. "In these times of increasing cooperative engagements between the defence forces of the two countries, this is a major step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support and is the first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country," the ministry said in its statement.
India is also set to gift of two simulators and a monetary grant towards setting up of Language and IT Lab at the Air Force Officers Training School for capacity building of the Vietnamese Armed Forces, Rajnath Singh also announced, the Indian Express reported.
The Defence Ministry reiterated that India and Vietnam "share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership." Vietnam, the ministry noted, "is an important partner in India's Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision" and the two countries "share a rich history of civilisational and cultural linkages spanning over 2,000 years."
"India and Vietnam continue to have the most trustworthy relations in contemporary times with broader convergence of interests and common concerns. Bilateral defence engagements have expanded over a period of time to include wide-ranging contacts between the two countries, including Defence Policy Dialogues, military to military exchanges, high-level visits, capacity building and training programs, cooperation in UN Peace Keeping, ship visits and bilateral exercises," said the Defence Ministry.