New Delhi, 24 February 2010: Welcoming a Parliamentary Delegation from Vietnam led by the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam  H.E. Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong today in Parliament Library Building,  Lok Sabha Speaker   Smt. Meira Kumar said that there exists a national consensus on Indo-Vietnamese relations in India and Vietnam is the centre of India’s Look East policy.

Recalling the historical and cultural relations between the two countries, she said that India has great admiration for the courage and resilience of the people of Vietnam. She further said that both the countries had fought against imperialism and colonialism.

Responding to the sentiments of the Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Mr. Phu Trong said that his visit to India will further deepen and consolidate the strategic and comprehensive relationship between the two countries. Mr. Trong  admired India’s emergence as a powerhouse of knowledge industry. He also extended an official invitation to Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha to visit Vietnam at a mutually convenient date.