Brics Summit: PM Modi meets Vietnamese, Ethiopian counterparts

India and Vietnam are working towards $25 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and greater two-way investment, as well as strengthening their cultural and civilisational linkages

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Lê Minh Hưng discussed ways to expand cooperation in defence, energy and rare earth minerals at a meeting on the margins of the Brics Summit on Saturday.

Vietnam is a partner country in the Brics grouping and the Southeast Asian country’s defence and strategic ties with India have grown in recent years against the backdrop of shared concerns over China’s increased assertiveness across the region.

Modi said on social media that he had productive discussions with Hung on deepening defence and security cooperation, including a proposed 2+2 mechanism of the defence and foreign ministers. They also discussed the expansion of cooperation in energy, rare earths and space, he said.

The two sides are working towards $25 billion in bilateral trade by 2030 and greater two-way investment, as well as strengthening their cultural and civilisational linkages.

“Vietnam will always remain a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy and MAHASAGAR vision,” Modi said.

Modi and Hung reviewed the progress in bilateral ties since they were elevated to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership during Vietnam President To Lam’s visit to India in May. They also discussed regional and global issues.

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Modi also held a separate meeting with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia, one of the newer members of Brics. Ali is on his first visit to India. Modi said on social media his talks with Ali covered defence, capacity building, investment linkages, critical minerals, clean energy and healthcare.

“Together, we will also strengthen India-Africa ties and amplify the voice of the Global South,” Modi said.

The external affairs ministry said the two leaders held discussions to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership and reviewed progress in key sectors such as economic cooperation, defence and security partnership, and capacity building. They also discussed regional and international developments.

Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More