Indo-Vietnam towards greater mutual understanding and solidarity

Kolkata, Sep 2 (UNI) At a time when the Indo-US Nuclear deal is in a state of ambiguity, revolutionary Vietnamese leader Nguyen Thi Binh and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee today welcomed the Joint Declaration on New Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

The West Bengal government state committee today hosted the Indo-Vietnam Friendship Festival, 2007 on the occasion of the latter's 63rd year of Independence from French Imperialism. A 36-member delegation from the South-East Asian country had arrived here to participate in the festival.

''The historic victory of Vietnam in the struggle for national liberation is also a victory of international solidarity, to which outstanding contribution has been made by the people of India, by the citizens of West Bengal and especially of Kolkata,'' Madame Thi Binh said, while appreciating the efforts made by the Indian government and the Indian people towards the achievement of international peace and solidarity.

She expressed her willingness, on behalf of her nation, to nurture the Indo-Vietnamese mutual relation and hoped this would help in the future development of both the nations.

''We, Vietnamese, warmly welcome the signing by the governments of both the nations of the Joint Declaration on New Strategic Partnership that was discussed in July last year when Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited India,'' she maintained.

''Indo-Vietnamese Friendship is now almost 50 years old,'' Mr Mukherjee said while adding,''It was in 1972 when our foreign policy was carved in a way so as to accommodate Indo-Vietnam friendship within its purview.

''It was even earlier when Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh and India's Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru decided that the mutual relation between the two nations should be taken to higher levels,'' he reiterated.

The father of Vietnam's freedom struggle, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam as an independent nation from French domination on September 2, 1945.

Meanwhile, Mr Mukherjee spoke on the increasing change in the Union government's foreign policy of looking towards a friendlier and more viable relation with India's South East Asian neighbours.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said, ''Vietnam and India share a common interest and a similar past; the past, which has broken our nation into pieces, but could not, however, break our spirits,'' adding,'' It was this spirit that enabled us to grow stronger and throw the imperialist and colonialist powers out of our country.'' ''Vietnam, principally a peasant country could accumulate the strength to throw away the imperialist powers such as the French and the Americans and become an independent nation,'' Mr Bhattacherjee said.

''Vietnam has today not only gained its independence but has grown through the years into an economically and socially strong nation. There is a lot we can learn from them,'' he stated.

Notable among others, who talked on the need to fight against imperialist and colonialist forces, included Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim and Left Front leaders Pallab Sengupta and Rabin Deb.

Today's inaugural programme was presided over by former Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu and was inaugurated by Mr Mukherjee.

Other dignitaries present on the occasion, included Rajya Sabha member and polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury, Left Front Chairman Biman Basu, Mayor of Kolkata Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and State Transport and Sports Minister Subhas Chakroborty.

UNI