New Delhi (VNA) – Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang highlighted the formation of new securityand development space linking Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific with closereconomic, political and cultural connectivity during a dialogue in New Delhi onMarch 4 morning with nearly 300 Indian politicians, professors, researchers,scholars and students.

In his speech,President Quang said a number of inter-regional and global initiatives andlong-term cooperation strategies have been raised in Indian Ocean and theAsia-Pacific over the past years, including the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP), India’s “Look East” policy, China’s “Belt and Road” connectivityinitiative, Japan’s “Free and Open Indo– Pacific Strategy”, the US’s “Free andOpen Indo-Pacific Vision”, and recently the Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership  (CPTPP) with the participation of 11 member economies.

He said the 21st century becomes the century of the Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific only whencountries share the same vision for an open area in line with international lawwith no country and population group being left behind, and strive to maintain overflight,aviation and trade freedom for common prosperity.

Speaking highlyof Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech during the ASEAN-India Summit, PresidentQuang said only via increasingly closer links across infrastructure, trade,investment, culture, education – training, science – technology, India andASEAN could build up power to create a new development space for the sake ofpeace, stability, cooperation and development.

In Vietnam’s foreignpolicy, India is always one of the most important prioritised partners, hesaid, adding that PM Modi also described Vietnam as the top priority in India’sefforts to boost ties with Asia-the Pacific.

India deserves agreater role in Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific as well as in the world, henoted.

The Vietnameseleader said Vietnam supports India in actively joining regional connectivityand cooperation mechanisms.

He called on theneed to further reinforce Vietnam-India economic-trade connectivity,considering it a development momentum for the bilateral comprehensive strategicpartnership. Vietnam and India need to promote maritime cooperation andcollaboration in achieving their sustainable development goals, and closelyconnect the United Nations Agenda on Sustainable Development 2030 with the regionalcooperation frameworks, including the Mekong – Ganga Cooperation.

The President suggestedjointly building an open and inclusive regional architecture and effectivelyrealising contents of the ASEAN – India strategic partnership with a new vision.

Vietnam andIndia need to coordinate more closely at multilateral forums, particularly inthe mechanisms of the United Nations and ASEAN, while actively participating indeveloping and shaping frameworks and cooperation methods, contributing to effortsof the international community to ensure peace, cooperation, development,and  bright future for the Indian Ocean,Asia, and Asia-Pacific region, President Quang suggested.

He expressed hisbelief that with the time-testing friendship, shared vision, and efforts madeby leaders and people of the two nations, Vietnam and India have a solidfoundation for the growing strategic comprehensive partnership and becoming thefocus in regional connectivity.

The IndianOcean, Asia, and Asia-Pacific regions have established its century-oldconnectivity in terms of geography, history, economy, and culture, he said,adding that the recent initiatives on regional connectivity, once beingimplemented as commitments, will contribute to creating a future of peace, cooperationand prosperity in the regions.

He spoke highlyof India’s “Look East” and “Act East” policies, saying that they willcontribute to the development of the Indian Ocean, Asia, and Asia-Pacificspace, promoting the building of a sustainable regional architecture.

The realisedIndian Ocean, Asia, and Asia-Pacific Vision will lay a foundation for thecountry’s “Act East” policy to fulfill its targets and benefits, President Quangstressed.

The Vietnameseleader highlighted the central role of the ASEAN nations in the Indian Ocean,Asia, and Asia-Pacific regions, saying that all key shipping routesconnecting the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean run through Southeast Asia.

ASEAN is theonly regional organisation with close cooperation frameworks and mechanismswith all nations in and outside the region, therefore, all regionalconnectivity initiatives are important to ASEAN, President Quang affirmed.

On the occasion,President Quang attended a ceremony launching the book on Vietnam – Indiarelations, titled “Emerging Horizons in India – Vietnam Relations”.

He also attendeda ceremony at the Nehru Museum to announce the establishment of the VietnameseStudies Centre under the Indian Academy of Social Science (ISSA).-VNA