Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, currently on a three-day state visit to India, received a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received his Vietnam counterpart at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The two leaders shared a warm hug as they greeted each other. He then inspected a Guard of Honour by the combined defence services.
The two Prime Ministers then engaged with officials from both nations’ delegations.
Earlier, on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar met with Prime Minister Chinh, who had arrived in India on Tuesday. During their meeting, PM Chinh expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and thanked India for the swift arrangements made for his visit.
“I want to thank you for your time, seeing me this afternoon. I want to thank you for your efforts in arranging my visit to India with such short notice and a very tight schedule. I would like to thank the two foreign ministries for making the best preparations for this visit,” Pham Minh Chinh said.
Further, PM Chinh congratulated PM Modi on his historic third consecutive election victory, underscoring India’s importance on its relations with Vietnam.
“I would like to thank India for the warm reception accorded to me during my stay in India. It is a vivid testament to the importance that India places on its relations with Vietnam. I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Modi’s re-election for the third consecutive term. This is a historic victory.” Chinh said.
In response, Jaishankar expressed his pleasure at receiving Chinh, noting the importance of his visit so soon after the new government’s formation. He conveyed condolences on the passing of Secretary General Niren Fu-Chang and highlighted the deep ties between the two nations.
“Senior members of the cabinet, as well as the head of our party, have signed the condolence book, underscoring how close our relations are,” Jaishanakar said.
“Your visit allows us to review our bilateral relations, and also to assess the strategic trends in our region. I know the Prime Minister looks forward very much to his discussions regarding both subjects with you. And I would today, of course”.
“And again, I assure you that we have prepared very, very well for this visit. There will be, I think, 10 agreements, and three announcements, and we will be taking steps that will certainly set the course for the further development of our relations,” he added.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita had previously welcomed PM Chinh at the airport on Tuesday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, affirmed on social media platform X that Chinh’s visit would further strengthen the enduring friendship and strategic partnership between India and Vietnam.
In an earlier press release, the MEA stated that India and Vietnam share age-old historical and civilizational ties, which were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during PM Modi’s visit to Vietnam in September 2016. Vietnam is regarded as a pivotal element of India’s Act East Policy and a crucial partner in its Indo-Pacific vision.
(ANI)