Vietnam an important pillar of Act East Policy and a key partner of India’s Indo-Pacific Vision, says Jaishankar

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<strong>India and Vietnam have launched a logo for the celebration of 50 years of their diplomatic relations. The logo, unveiled on the sidelines of the Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, has been selected jointly by the two sides through a contest open for nationals of both countries.</strong></p>
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The image represents long-standing friendship between India and Vietnam symbolically through a peacock and a crane, the birds of national importance in the two countries, respectively. It also includes the numeral 50 to denote the 50 years of diplomatic relations and the national flags of India and Vietnam at its centre.<br />
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The logo was made public by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Foreign Minister of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son during their bilateral meeting held at the new Chancery building of the Embassy of Vietnam in New Delhi. Both ministers discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, and regional and international developments of mutual interest.</p>
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<img alt="Vietnam" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/india_vietnam_logo.webp" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;" />They also discussed high-level exchanges. Following the meeting, an MoU on cybersecurity between CERT-In, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, India and VNCERT, Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam, was also exchanged.</p>
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While diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam were established in 1972, the friendship and close relations between the two nations predates that year.<br />
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"The telephonic talk that our Prime Minister and General Secretary had in April 2022 has actually given new strategic guidance to our relationship so that we can work together to take it to a higher level.The visit of the Chairman of National Assembly of Vietnam to India last December, followed by a very successful visit by the Speaker of our Lok Sabha to Vietnam this April, is one more indication of our strong partnership," said EAM Jaishankar. </p>
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On June 15, during his trip to India attending ASEAN-India FMM Special Meeting, <a href="https://twitter.com/FMBuiThanhSon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FMBuiThanhSon</a> joins Ambassador <a href="https://twitter.com/SanhChauPham?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SanhChauPham</a> at a ceremony to celebrate the first direct flight✈️ connecting 🇮🇳India and 🇻🇳Viet Nam operated by <a href="https://twitter.com/VietnamAirlines?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VietnamAirlines</a>. <a href="https://t.co/3eHZMuHgeq">pic.twitter.com/3eHZMuHgeq</a></p>
— Viet Nam Diplomacy #VietNamForUNHRC (@MOFAVietNam) <a href="https://twitter.com/MOFAVietNam/status/1537056658874331137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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He also highlighted the recent visit by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Hanoi where a Joint Vision for Defence Cooperation and an agreement on Mutual Logistics Support was signed to strengthen the defence cooperation.</p>
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"It is noticeable too that the implementation of the US$100 million defence Line of Credit for 12 High Speed Guard Boats has been successfully completed," said Jaishankar.<br />
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After the bilateral trade crossed US$ 14 billion for the first time last year, India hopes that that this year, the target of US$ 15 billion will be achieved.</p>
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Jaishankar, during his speech at the event, also noted the millennia old civilizational connection, which has manifest in the shared Buddhist and Cham heritage. The 9th century monolithic sandstone Shivalingam excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at My Son in central Vietnam and the designation of two important cultural-religious icons of India – Ganesha and Gajasimha – as National Treasures by the Government of Vietnam in 2020 bring to sharp relief the close historical association between the two countries.</p>
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"Today, Vietnam is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a key partner of our Indo-Pacific Vision. We are also closely engaging with Vietnam in taking forward Prime Minister Modi’s vision of SAGAR, that is Security and Growth for All in the Region," he said.</p>
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<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/india-and-vietnam-sign-vision-statement-defining-defence-partnership-for-next-eight-years-176427.html">India and Vietnam sign vision statement defining defence partnership for next eight years</a> </strong></p>