Vietnam PM to arrive tomorrow on three-day visit

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will arrive here on Wednesday on a three-day state visit to boost the bilateral relations.

New Delhi, July 3 : Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will arrive here on Wednesday on a three-day state visit to boost the bilateral relations.

Dung will lead a high-level delegation comprising of his Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen, Science and Technology Minister Hoang Van Phong and Fishery Minister Ta Quang Ngoc.

During the visit Dung will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Various agreements will be signed, including an MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Cultural Exchange Programme between India and Vietnam 2007-09 and a Work Plan in the Field of Agriculture 2007-09.

Dung will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam on July 6.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani will call on the visiting dignitary.

Dung will also visit Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Mumbai during his visit.

The visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister takes place during the 35th anniversary year of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam.

India shares warm and cordial relations with Vietnam. The two countries have had a long history of close political, economic and societal ties and are committed to working together for a broad based expansion of relations in the political, security, economic, cultural and science and technological spheres.

India assists Vietnam through grants and soft loans for development projects.

Bilateral trade between India and Vietnam reached one billion dollars in 2006. Both countries have set a target of doubling the trade by 2010. Indian companies such as Essar and Tata Steel have signed agreements to invest in the Vietnamese steel sector.

ANI