The Defence Minister Shri A K Antony will be leaving New Delhi on Sunday for a three-day official visit to Vietnam. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Defence Shri P K Rastogi, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. M L Naidu, Air Marshal V R Iyer and Vice Admiral D K Dewan.
During his stay in the capital Hanoi, Shri Antony will hold meetings with his Vietnamese counterpart Mr. Phung Quang Thanh. He will also make courtesy call on the President Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet and the legendry leader Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap. The Defence Minister will also visit various defence installations in Ho Chi Minh city besides holding discussions with the Indian Chamber of Business.
Over the years Indo-Vietnamese Defence cooperation has grown steadily through visits by military delegations, ship visits from India and training of Vietnamese Defence personnel in India. The relationships got a boost in 1994 with the signing of the Protocol on Defence cooperation. It reached a high point in July 2007 when the two countries agreed on ‘Strategic Partnership’ during the visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister to India. Vietnam has now become a member of the UN Security Council for a period of two years. Last month the 3rd India Vietnam Security Dialogue was held in New Delhi and a number of decisions were taken by both sides to provide further impetus to their relationships. The decisions include exchange of visits for better appreciation of requirements and problems, greater cooperation in the field of training of Service personnel - particularly involving junior level officers, security dialogue at least once a year, sharing of expertise on issues of common concern such as maritime security, border management and counter insurgency, conduct of training for Vietnamese officers in the field of UN Peacekeeping operations, invitation to Vietnamese officers to Indian military exercises as observers etc.
Shri Antony will return home on Wednesday, December 19.
PK/RAJ
(Release ID :34043)