Ambassador Pranay Verma: 2020 was a year of milestones for Viet Nam’s diplomacy

Ambassador of India to Viet Nam Pranay Verma.

In a pandemic-hit year, which brought many disruptions across the globe, Viet Nam successfully adjusted its diplomatic outreach to remain actively engaged with its partners, both at bilateral front and at multilateral forums. In many ways, 2020 was a year of several milestones for Viet Nam’s diplomacy.

As the Chair of ASEAN 2020, Viet Nam successfully led the ASEAN and carried out its scheduled activities using virtual formats. In the context of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic, Viet Nam’s slogan of ‘Responsive and Cohesive’ ASEAN acquired a new meaning for the grouping.

Viet Nam’s active participation at the UN Security Council as non-permanent member for the term 2020-2021 was equally meaningful and productive. At various debates organized throughout the year, Viet Nam led emphasis on adherence to international law and the UN Charter. The outcome document of the international conference on Women, Peace and Security that Viet Nam hosted in December 2020 was co-sponsored by many countries, including India. Viet Nam’s success in getting 27 December designated as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which India co-sponsored, was an important milestone.

Despite the pandemic, our bilateral relations remained active throughout the year with high-level exchanges using online mode and virtual platforms. On 13 April 2020, our Prime Ministers spoke with each other on phone sharing experiences in managing COVID-19. On 21 December 2020, our Prime Ministers held the Virtual Summit, in which they adopted the historic ‘Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People’ to guide the future development of India-Viet Nam Comprehensive Strategic partnership. Our Foreign Ministers held the 17^th Joint Commission Meeting in August in which they reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and prepared grounds for the Virtual Summit.

Under the ASEAN framework, too, India remained engaged with Viet Nam and other ASEAN member states with active participation in all scheduled events. Our Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defence Minister continued representing India at the ASEAN Summit and related meetings showing our robust engagement with the region consonant with our Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision.

As we usher in 2021, we are hopeful that the New Year will bring many new opportunities to further enrich our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. In 2021, both India and Viet Nam are serving concurrently as non-permanent members at the UN Security Council. We are confident that our close cooperation and coordination at the UNSC will make significant contributions towards peace and prosperity in the post-pandemic world.