Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee made the confirmation during talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is on an official visit to India at the invitation of Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

During his three-day visit, which started on February 26, the Deputy PM also met with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), A.B. Bardhan, Politburo member and Head of International Department of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-(M)), Sitaram Yechury, and opposition leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lal Krisna Advani.

Indian PM Singh, Minister Mukherjee and leaders of major parties in India expressed their joy at Vietnam’s achievements in economic development and external affairs in recent years, especially the successful organization of the 14^th APEC Summit and its WTO accession.

Deputy PM Khiem expressed his pleasure at stable development of Vietnam-India relations, especially in the political, economic, trade, investment, scientific and technological, education and training and credit sectors.

The Indian officials agreed that this was the favourable time for the two sides to make breakthroughs in economic, commercial and investment ties with the aim of bringing bilateral cooperation to a new height for the common benefit of the two countries for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

During their exchange of notes, Mr Khiem informed the Indian PM that Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will pay an official visit to India. He conveyed the Vietnamese leaders' invitations to the Indian President and Prime Minister to visit Vietnam at a convenient time.

On the afternoon of February 27, Deputy PM Khiem and Minister Mukherjee co-chaired the 13^th meeting of the Vietnam-India Inter-government Committee on Economic, Trade and Science and Technology Cooperation.

VOVNews/VNA