Phan said that Doval's ongoing visit is of significant importance as it takes place after the two countries agreed to further lift the bilateral ties to Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the spirit of "shared vision, strategic convergence, substantive cooperation", on the occasion of General Secretary and President To Lam's State visit to India in May this year.
Both countries have continued to step up bilateral defense cooperation in a substantive and effective manner over the past time and achieved positive outcomes following the signing of the Joint Vision Statement on Viet Nam-India Defense Partnership towards 2030, General Phan noted.
During General Secretary and President To Lam's India visit, both sides agreed to further enhance political trust, fully and effectively implement the signed agreements, focusing on key areas such as delegation exchanges, consultation and dialogue, training, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+), he said.
General Phan suggested Doval continue to support and advance bilateral defense cooperation, commensurate with its role as a key pillar of the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
On the occasion, General Phan affirmed that the Ministry of National Defense of Viet Nam welcomes leaders of Indian Ministry of Defense and defense enterprises to participate in, and display products at the Viet Nam International Defense Expo scheduled to take place in Ha Noi in December this year.
The Indian National Security Adviser highly valed the relations between Viet Nam and India, emphasizing that cooperation with trustworthy partners in a fast-changing world is becoming increasingly important for national development and autonomy.
Doval expressed his pleasure to witness the constant advancement of Viet Nam-India relations, in which defense cooperation has emerged as an important pillar./.