Defence minister Antony leaves Sunday for Vietnam

New Delhi, Dec 14 - Defence Minister A.K. Antony leaves here Sunday on a three-day official visit to Vietnam that is aimed at ramping military-to-military ties and reinforcing India's Look East policy of engaging countries in its extended neighbourhood.

During his stay in capital Hanoi, Antony will hold meetings with his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh. He will also pay courtesy calls on President Nguyen Minh Triet and legendry military leader Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap who led the operations to evict the French colonial rulers in the 1950s.

Antony will visit various defence installations in Ho Chi Minh city, besides holding discussions with the Indian Chamber of Business, a defence ministry press release said Friday.

A high-level delegation including Additional Secretary (Defence) P.K. Rastogi, and the Indian Army vice chief, as also senior officers of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, will accompany Antony.

This will be the minister's third visit abroad after assuming office 14 months ago. He had visited Singapore in June for the meeting of the Shangri La Dialogue regional security grouping. He had visited Moscow in October for the annual meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation.

'Over the years, India-Vietnamese defence cooperation has grown steadily through visits by military delegations, ship visits from India and training of Vietnamese defence personnel in India,' the defence ministry release said.

The relationship got a boost in 1994 with the signing of the protocol on defence cooperation. It reached a high point in July 2007 when the two countries agreed to enter a strategic partnership during the visit of the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India.

In November, the 3rd India Vietnam Security Dialogue was held in New Delhi 'and a number of decisions were taken by both sides to provide further impetus to their relationship', the release added.

The decisions included exchange of visits for better appreciation of requirements and problems, and greater cooperation in the field of training of service personnel - particularly involving junior level officers.

It was also decided to hold a security dialogue at least once a year; share expertise on issues of common concern such as maritime security, border management and counter insurgency; conduct training for Vietnamese officers in the field of UN Peacekeeping operations; and to invite Vietnamese officers to observe Indian military exercises.

Antony will return home Dec 19.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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