Vietnam and India have agreed to focus their defense cooperation on applying technological advances and developing information technology (IT) and defense industry.

>> Int’l function hails Vietnam role in India’s ‘Look East’ policy The agreement was reached at the ninth Vietnam-India defense dialogue in New Delhi on Friday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

At the event, Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and his Indian counterpart Shri R.K. Mathur also agreed that both sides will continue sharing defense strategies and polices through visits and training courses for their militaries.

Deputy Minister Shri Mathur affirmed that India always wants to expand cooperation with Vietnam, which is considered a pillar in India’s Look East policy.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Vinh, said he will do his best to develop bilateral defense ties between Vietnam and India. The two officials pledged to extend the second stage of a project on developing an Indian-funded center for IT, foreign languages and informatics into a major software hub in central Vietnam.

The two sides agreed to continue their close coordination at multilateral forums in the region.

Deputy Minister Vinh told his host that the center for IT, foreign languages and informatics under the Vietnamese Defense Ministry’s Telecommunications University will be put into operation in the second quarter of this year, as the result of the initial support that India gives to the Vietnamese defense ministry. The two officials also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern, and shared the view that all disputes should be settled through peaceful dialogues based on international law without the use or threat of force.

Reviewing the bilateral defense partnership, they took note of the progress in implementing a US$100 million credit that India offers to Vietnam to build ships for Vietnamese maritime law enforcement forces.

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