President offers Indian expertise to Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, Nov 25 (UNI) President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today called for enhancing trade relations between India and Vietnam and offered Indian expertise in the development of infrastructure projects in that country.

Ms Patil asked the Vietnamese government to provide congenial atmosphere for Indian companies for investment in Vietnam and suggested to the Indian companies to look at all possible areas where joint ventures or partnerships can be created, while speaking at a business luncheon meeting hosted by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) here.

She said, ''Both India and Vietnam are currently focusing on infrastructure development. India has, in recent years, achieved commendable success in this area. Some sectors such as the Highway Development Programme has become a model for public-private partnership, which can be usefully replicated in many other developing countries, including Vietnam.'' She said Indian expertise can be transferred in areas like engineering, transportation and power generation.

Ms Patil said India could be a ''useful partner'' in the field of higher education, research and human resource development and it could learn from Vietnam in the sectors of marine products, processing or agricultural crops like cashew, pepper, coffee and rice in which Vietnam was the major exporting country in the world.

She said the conclusion of a Trade-in-Goods Agreement would take India-Vietnam economic ties to even greater strength, adding that partnership in regional spheres would further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.

She said the economic and commercial content in ties would provide further strength and sustenance to the political ties.

The Business Forum Meeting was attended by representatives from a large number of Vietnamese and Indian companies that included Tata Steel, Essar and Ishan International Pvt Ltd.

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