M A I N   N E W S

India, Vietnam sign 3 pacts

HANOI, Jan 8 (UNI) — India and Vietnam today gave a new dimension to their bilateral relations by signing three agreements on culture, tourism and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

According to the agreement on tourism, the two countries will open national tourist offices and exchange experts on preservation of cultural linkages. It also identified cooperation in human resource development and envisaged formation of a working group for this purpose.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Department of Atomic Energy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment provided for continued cooperation in the field of human resource development and exchange of expertise. The MoU is a follow-up of the agreement signed between the two countries in 1986 for cooperation for utilisation of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

Referring to the visits of a number of Vietnamese scientists to facilities in India in the field of peaceful utilisation of nuclear energy, the MoU said Indian scientists would continue to cooperate with the Vietnamese Atomic Energy Commission on the technical and functional aspects of the Dalal Nuclear Research Institute.

Meanwhile, India today asked ASEAN to join hands to face the challenges posed to Asia’s security from terrorism and religious extremism. “We recognise the challenges to the security of Asia stemming from terrorism, religious extremism and subversive and separatist activities.....We look forward to strengthening our bonds with ASEAN,” Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said at a banquet hosted in his honour by his Vietnamese counterpart, Mr Phan Van Khai.

Mr Vajpayee also offered the Communist nation India’s fullest cooperation to strengthen its economy and accelerate growth rate.

Regretting that developing countries often underestimated the technologies progress achieved by other such nations and turn automatically to the developed world for products, services and assistance. “India and Vietnam should not fall into this trap.”