Dr. Rup Narayan Das, a senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research at the Indian Institute of Public Administration.(Photo: VNA)

New Delhi (VNA) - Vietnam and India have great potential to further develop their bilateral relations,according to Dr. Rup Narayan Das, a senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research at the Indian Institute of Public Administration.

The scholar shared his view in an interview granted to the VietnamNews Agency’s correspondents in New Delhi on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam – India diplomatic ties (1972-2022), duringwhich he stressed that the bilateral relations has witnessed comprehensivedevelopment in terms of politics, economy, diplomacy and strategy.

Vietnam and India share a common vision on and approach to majorregional and international issues, he said, noting that at bilateral andmultilateral forums, both India and Vietnam have reiterated their commitments regarding issues such as the Indo-Pacific and freedom of navigation.

In the bilateral framework, the two countries regularly exchangedelegations at all levels, the most recent being the official visit to India byVietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and the two countries havealso planned other high-level delegation exchanges in 2022.

Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) and Shri P. P. Chaudhary, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs of India (Photo: VNA)

Dr. Rup Narayan Das said he did not see any major factors hindering bilateral relations, addingthat he expects more momentum in the India-Vietnam relations, including people-to-peopleexchange and civil society.

It is a good thing that now there is a direct flight betweenVietnam and India, and this is expected to promote tourism as well aspeople-to-people exchange between the two countries, he said.

Noting that the two countries are cooperating closely and havemany complementary points in all fields of politics, economics, and strategyand people-to-people exchange, he said the two countries can also expand cooperation to promote supply chains, thusfostering two-way trade.

The scholar said India should pour more invest into Vietnam andthe two countries need to promote trade and economic ties to a higher level.

According to the Indian expert, India may also offer morescholarships under the IndianTechnical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC). The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) may open offices inVietnamese universities to promote Indianstudies in Vietnam.

He said there is still huge potential for Vietnam and India tocooperate in areas such as agriculture, nuclear and medicine for the benefit ofboth sides.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese and Indian leaders have maintained close contact. They have many bilateral dialogue mechanisms,which have been held fairly regularly without interruptions.

🌟 He also underlined the potential for the two sides to expand tourismcooperation and relations between localities of the two countries./.