Vietnam takes dragon by the fangs, says India can explore

Hanoi: Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang today said India and other foreign nations were welcome to explore hydrocarbons in areas within his country’s jurisdiction, as he sought to deepen strategic and defence ties with New Delhi. Ahead of his maiden state visit to India from Tuesday, President Sang said the objectives of his trip are to continue to strengthen friendship between the two peoples, reinforce, deepen and add greater substance to bilateral strategic partnership.[caption id=“attachment_102973” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang. Reuters”]  [/caption] “This visit takes place in the context that the time- honoured traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India are witnessing strong growth in all areas for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development,” Sang said. “We note with satisfaction the fine developments of the strategic partnership between the two countries in all areas, including security - defence,” he said. The high-level visit, which will be closely followed by Beijing, comes at a time when both countries are having their own difficulties with China. Commenting on the controversy over oil exploration by India in two Vietnamese oil blocks in the South China Sea with Chinese authorities raising objections claiming that it was their area, Sang defended Hanoi’s deal with India. “It is a fact that all cooperation projects between Vietnam and other partners including ONGC in the field of oil and gas are located on the continental shelf, within the exclusive economic zone and under the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of Vietnam, entirely in conformity with international laws, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he said. “We welcome foreign companies to work with Vietnamese partners in oil and gas projects on the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of Vietnam and in conformity with Vietnamese laws,” Sang said The Chinese claim on the South China Sea has been rejected by both India and Vietnam, saying as per the UN the blocks belong to Vietnam. India has also made it clear that its state-owned firm would continue to explore in the resource-rich South China Sea. The President said Vietnam was also committed to protecting the legitimate interests of foreign companies which have invested in the country. “Vietnam commits and is responsible for protecting the rights and legitimate interests of foreign companies doing business in Vietnam,” the 62-year-old leader, also a politburo standing member of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam, said. Asked if Beijing was overbearing in its attitude towards Hanoi, the Vietnamese President said that his country hoped that China’s fast paced development would contribute positively to peace, stability and progress. “China is a country with a growing role and influence in the region and the world. We hope that China’s development will contribute positively to peace, stability and development in the region and the world,” he said. China and Vietnam fought a brief war in 1979 and according to analysts, Hanoi has grown wary of the Middle Kingdom’s growing economic and military might. But the Vietnamese President sought to down play this. “China is an important and close neighbouring country of Vietnam,” he said, adding that Hanoi attached great importance to the development of good neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with China, which constitutes a priority in its foreign policy. Sang noted that Vietnam and China have established a comprehensive strategic partnership and that Chinese leaders have stressed on their desire to “deepen the multi-sided cooperation with Vietnam and working together to satisfactorily settle disputes through peaceful negotiations on the basis of respect for international laws.” On the significance of his upcoming visit to India and the topics on his agenda, Sang said he will exchange views with the Indian leaders on means and ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in all fields, including coordination at regional and international fora with a view to uplifting Vietnam-India relations to be commensurate with the vast potentials of the two countries and expectations of their peoples. “This visit will also help strengthen the close and reliable relations between the two countries’ leaders, which serve as a firm foundation for promoting cooperation among ministries, agencies and localities in the near future,” the Vietnamese President said. He said the strategic ties between Vietnam and India should be enhanced, taking into consideration the changing global scenario. “In the current context, cooperation in this field should be enhanced to cope with challenges, such as terrorism, transnational crimes, maritime security and safety, including the increased friendly exchanges between the two armed forces. This is completely in line with the regional trend of peace and cooperation,” he said. The Vietnamese President noted that the time-honoured traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and India have been expanded and deepened, evidenced by the increased meetings and exchanges of visits between high-level leaders and Ministries in politics, defence- security, finance, human resources training and Science and Technology. PTI