Rajnath Singh inks joint vision statement with Vietnam to enhance defence ties
India Today
During his 3-day official visit to Vietnam, Rajnath Singh signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’, to enhance defence partnership between the two countries.
Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence, General Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi on June 8, 2022. Wide-ranging discussions on effective and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements and regional and global issues were held between the two sides.
- The two Defence Ministers signed the ‘Joint Vision Statement on India-Vietnam Defence Partnership towards 2030’, which will significantly enhance the scope of existing defence cooperation.
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Logistics Support was also inked, a step towards simplifying procedures for mutually beneficial logistic support, which is the first such major agreement which Vietnam has signed with any country.
- Both Ministers also agreed for early finalisation of $US 500 million Defence Line of Credit extended to Vietnam. Rajnath Singh also announced gifting 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.
India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since 2016 and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership. Vietnam is an important partner in India’s Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision.
India and Vietnam 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.
