India And Vietnam Hold Second Maritime Security Dialogue
India and Vietnam on Tuesday held their second maritime security Virtual dialogue. Both sides deliberated on maritime security cooperation as well as on the evolving regional situation during the virtual dialogue.
“The consultations involved exchanges on developments in the domain of maritime security, regional cooperation activities and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The defence and security ties between the two countries have witnessed steady expansion. This has helped in improving the security situation in seas around Vietnam.
In December last, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc during which both sides vowed to boost overall defence and security cooperation, including in the maritime sphere.
In the wake of growing military muscle-flexing by China in the Sea region South of Chinese Coast, the two leaders had specifically reaffirmed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight in the Seas around Vietnam.
Vietnam, an important country of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), has territorial disputes with China in the Nautuna Sea or what the Chinese like to call it …. South China Sea region.
China claims sovereignty over all of the Off its Southern Coast, a huge source of hydrocarbons. However, this claim is not valid as several ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, Philippines and Brunei, have counter claims as they have had Sovereignty over the areas for centuries.
