India offers cooperation in hydro-carbon, power sectors

New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) India today offered to cooperate with Vietnam in the hydro-carbon and power sectors.

This cooperation could be facilitated by giving soft loans as well as credit loan, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting at Hamburg, Germany.

The two Ministers reviewed bilateral relations and looked at concrete steps which needed to be taken to expand these relations.

''In particular, they hoped that India and Vietnam could reach the bilateral trade target of US 2 billion dollars by 2010,'' External Affairs spokesperson Navtej Sarna told reporters here.

They also discussed the forthcoming visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to India.

Mr Pham also took the opportunity to reiterate Vietnam's support for India's candidature to the permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Mr Mukherjee also had a bilateral meeting with Mr Javier Solana, Secretary General of the European Council and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The two leaders reviewed India-EU relations and expressed their keenness to intensify political contacts.

''More frequent and informal contacts were agreed upon,'' the spokesman said.

They also exchanged views on the Iran nuclear issue.

Mr Mukherjee briefed Mr Solana on the 14th SAARC Summit and the setting up of the SAARC Development Fund, South Asian University and SAARC Food Bank.

He also briefed him on the India-Pakistan composite dialogue and the CBMs that have already been put in place between the two countries.

UNI