New Delhi, September 13: India and Vietnam on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to expanding defence and maritime cooperation, with both sides stressing the need for a peaceful, stable and rules-based security environment in the Indo-Pacific region.
The discussions took place during a meeting between Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Vietnam’s National Defence Deputy Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Truong Thang in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
The meeting followed a high-level interaction between the Prime Ministers of India and Vietnam during the summit and focused on taking forward the strategic direction set by the two leaders.
The two officials reviewed ways to strengthen bilateral defence ties and deepen cooperation under the countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They discussed increasing joint activities, promoting technology exchanges and expanding cooperation in the defence industry.Maritime security emerged as an important area of mutual interest, with both countries reiterating their intention to work together to contribute to peace and stability in the region.
India and Vietnam also underlined the importance of coordination through multilateral platforms while addressing emerging and complex security challenges. Particular emphasis was placed on cooperation under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework.
The two sides agreed that ASEAN-led mechanisms and their expert working groups provide useful platforms for practical defence cooperation, greater coordination and strengthening collective security in the Indo-Pacific.The officials also agreed to hold the next Defence Policy Dialogue between India and Vietnam in India during Aero India 2027.
The dialogue is expected to provide another opportunity to review bilateral defence cooperation and explore new areas of collaboration.
The meeting highlighted the growing momentum in India-Vietnam defence relations and reflected the two countries’ shared intent to translate their broader strategic partnership into greater practical cooperation in defence and maritime security.
The engagement also comes at a time when both countries are placing increased emphasis on cooperation with regional partners and ASEAN-led mechanisms to promote stability and security across the Indo-Pacific.
