Embassy of India

Hanoi, Vietnam

Speech of Mr. Sandeep Arya,
Ambassador of the Republic of India to Vietnam

 At the International Conference "Vietnam - India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: Achievements and Prospects"

Dear former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Dy Nien

Dear Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

Dear Director, Institute of Defense Research and Analysis, Manohar Parrikar

Hello,

I am very happy that the important conference on India-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership is taking place at the prestigious Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, to review our confluences and evaluate opportunities to help strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two countries. I would like to thank the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Center for Indian Studies for organizing the Conference as well as for their efforts in preparing and conducting this event.

I am pleased that at least eight scholars and experts from India will present papers at this Conference, along with the large participation of Vietnamese scholars.

Vietnam - India friendship endures over time. Buddhist connections from the second century AD have been recorded in history, and hundreds of monuments across Vietnam spanning more than a thousand years of civilizational connection demonstrate the depth of the intersection between history and culture of two countries.

The modern phase of India-Vietnam relations is associated with President Ho Chi Minh, whose name was used to name this Academy. As early as 1921, President Ho Chi Minh made careful observations and with his profound understanding he wrote about Mahatma Gandhi's "doctrine of non-cooperation and non-violence", a call to spirituality. by Ramakrishna Paramhans in the 1880s and the awakening of the spirit of independence in India in the 1890s by Lokmanya Tilak.

Five months before India gained independence in March 1947, President Ho Chi Minh sent a representative to attend and send a message of solidarity to the Asian Cooperation Conference taking place in New Delhi, an event attended by Mahatma Gandhi's face and speech. I would like to quote the wise and visionary words that President Ho Chi Minh used for the India-Vietnam friendship on many occasions such as: "Nothing can be shaken", "steadfast", 'brother', 'close', 'steadfast', and 'forever'. The history of India and Vietnam relations has recorded a lot of special support and solidarity between the two countries during the period of the International Control Commission, in consular and diplomatic work as well as economic cooperation. throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and today.

Over the past seven decades, India and Vietnam have made great strides on their national journeys, the international landscape has undergone many upheavals and both sides have fine-tuned their foreign policies. we. However, one thing that remains unchanged is the steadfastness and consistency of the deep friendship and strong cooperation between India and Vietnam. To me, that shows that our solidarity, trust, confidence, closeness and belief are strategic and long-term. The upgrade of our relationship seven years ago during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Vietnam to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” represents a renewal of our commitment to bilateral relations and strengthening Moreover, this relationship is in all fields.

The world is currently witnessing significant instability, with the Indian Foreign Minister describing in his national statement at the United Nations General Assembly two months ago that this is “a period of turmoil.” special". Now is the time to remember the solidarity and enduring trust between our two countries as a source of encouragement and confidence to get through this time together. In this context, India has strongly voiced the interests, views and priorities of the group of Southern Hemisphere countries through two Summits organized by India in January and November this year. India's decisions as G20 Chair show positive progress on issues such as sustainable development goals, affordable and accessible finance, climate, equity and justice, digital public infrastructure, debt troubles, the presence of developing countries in global governance, etc. I am sure that the delegates attending this Workshop will appreciate the regional aspects and global in the second session and in their future studies, as the global environment influences our path to development and prosperity.

Economic trends are equally significant for the India-Vietnam partnership. Data shows that India and Vietnam are growing at twice the global average economic growth rate and this trend will continue as both countries aim to achieve high income levels. much higher in 2045 for Vietnam and 2047 for India. While both countries are integrating economically, trade, investing, and linking business with the wider world, they also need to focus more on cooperating with each other because many opportunities will appear between them. two economies. Therefore, scholars need to carefully research the fields so that the two sides can have greater economic and business cooperation.

Technology is becoming a key driver of growth, development, value chain and prosperity in today's ever-evolving world. It is no coincidence that India and Vietnam focus on incorporating technology trends into their national economic plans. I see many similarities in India and Vietnam's technology push and the establishment of national agencies and task forces to put these developments on their future growth trajectory. water.

Some areas that need to be considered for Vietnam and India to have more potential exchanges and cooperation include sharing practices, national experiences or creating partnerships to work together and leading the way in some of these areas. The current aspects of our comprehensive strategic partnership – political & strategic relations, economic & trade cooperation, defense & security, tourism & culture are all very important. At the same time, new opportunities in the following areas are worth mentioning at the first and fourth sessions of this conference:

(i) Digital transformation is a national priority for both sides. More and more substantive exchanges around each country's respective efforts, successes and gaps between the two countries could bring mutual benefits.

(ii) Earlier this year, India launched the 6G telecommunications vision project and tested 6G research and Vietnam established a research team to develop and test 6G equipment. Should we join together to consult and possibly collaborate in this future technology sector?

(iii) Banking and digital payments support tourism, business and services for foreign residents. Our central banks and technical entities can accelerate agreements between India and Vietnam on real-time digital payments between the two countries. Using national currencies to settle bilateral trade can also add resilience to trade in goods and services between the two countries.

(iv) As both sides move towards net-zero emissions, our national energy transition successes and experiences can benefit each other from each other's models and policies on competition. electricity prices, grid management, electricity purchasing and e-vehicle promotion. 41% of our total installed power capacity comes from non-fossil fuels and we are expanding this to 50% by 2030, similar to what Vietnam aspires to do.

(v) Should we discuss the best methods for promoting the National Entrepreneurship initiative?

(vi) Is India's Gati Shakti connectivity model for infrastructure development, roads, railways, ports, and urban railways worthy of more research by scholars in Vietnam?

(vii) Self-reliance in the fields of defense and security is an important priority for both countries. Our current discussion can be deepened to better assess and develop defense cooperation.

(viii) Space technology is becoming more flexible and potential. It does not mean just building and launching satellites, but also constantly emerging applications of images and data on marine fish stocks, broadband communications and weather warnings.

People-to-people exchanges, tourism and cultural exchange are the strengths of the India-Vietnam partnership. Our wide-ranging activities focus on expanding existing tourist flows; Hundreds of students and staff participate in training courses & seminars; the next phase of restoration and preservation of thousand-year-old heritage sites in Vietnam; 10 community projects are implemented annually across provinces and cities in Vietnam; exchange of youth and cultural groups in both directions. We are strengthening local-level exchanges between the two countries. More efforts are needed in connecting through movies, TV series and social networks. Our universities and policy units also need to cooperate more frequently and extensively. I hope to see more comments and analysis from the third session of the conference.

To conclude, I look forward to the discussions in the various sessions of the conference, which I plan to attend all day today. I am sure that the Center for Indian Studies will endeavor to compile presentations and discussions that can enrich the efforts of the two governments to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership in the coming years. next year. I realize that collaborative ideas are easier said than done but discussion is essential to enrich the thoughts that drive action or effort. Therefore, I truly appreciate the presence of all distinguished guests, delegates from India, Vietnamese government officials and scholars, community members, the media and the general public. island of close friends in the India-Vietnam partnership.

Thank you.