Hanoi, Sep 16 : India and Vietnam Friday agreed to add greater content to their bilateral relations in defence and security, even as both sides are considering a request for Indian assistance in training Vietnamese naval crew to operate Russian-made Kilo-class submarines.
The agreement was arrived at during a bilateral Joint Commission meeting between India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi.
Indian Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma too is in Hanoi on the occasion.
Vietnam has ordered for six of the Kilo-class submarine from the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg and it will begin induction of these vessels beginning 2012. At present, Vietnam operates two Korean-made Yugo-class midget submarines that will be decommissioned soon after the Kilo-class submarines are inducted.
India operates 10 Kilo-class submarines since its first induction in 1986 and these vessels have recently gone through an upgrade programme to extend their service life from 25 years to 40 years.
Vietnamese navy chief and deputy minister Vice Admiral Nguyen Van Hien had got access to an Indian Navy Kilo-class submarine at Visakhapatnam to learn about its operations when he had visited India in June this year.
India, Vietnam to increase defence, security cooperation [newKerala.com News # 68798]
In July, Vietnam provided Indian battleships entry to naval bases at the Nhatraneg and Halong bays
The agreement was arrived at during a bilateral Joint Commission meeting between India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi.
Indian Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma too is in Hanoi on the occasion.
Vietnam has ordered for six of the Kilo-class submarine from the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg and it will begin induction of these vessels beginning 2012. At present, Vietnam operates two Korean-made Yugo-class midget submarines that will be decommissioned soon after the Kilo-class submarines are inducted.
India operates 10 Kilo-class submarines since its first induction in 1986 and these vessels have recently gone through an upgrade programme to extend their service life from 25 years to 40 years.
Vietnamese navy chief and deputy minister Vice Admiral Nguyen Van Hien had got access to an Indian Navy Kilo-class submarine at Visakhapatnam to learn about its operations when he had visited India in June this year.
India, Vietnam to increase defence, security cooperation [newKerala.com News # 68798]
In July, Vietnam provided Indian battleships entry to naval bases at the Nhatraneg and Halong bays







