Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Jan. 8 (VNA) -- The national daily Nhan Dan has welcomed Indian Prime Minister A. B Vajpayee's official visit to Viet Nam, which starts today at the invitation of Viet Nam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

In its editorial of Jan. 8, the newspaper says: "Indian PM Vajpayee's visit and the cooperative documents to be signed while he is here will create new chances for both countries to both expand and make their bilateral cooperation more efficient, especially in trade, investment, science and technology so as to match their potential."

"The visit, the first by Prime Minister Vajpayee since he took office in late 1999, comes after an exchange of high-level visits by Vietnamese and Indian leaders, and is aimed at consolidating and developing the age-old traditional ties between the two countries as well as bringing their multi-formed cooperation to a new dimension."

The newspaper praises India's achievements in its "green" and "white" revolutions as well as its success in software exports, saying: "These achievements are important to the Indian people going ahead under the leadership of PM Vajpayee and obtaining a growth-rate of 9 percent in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the year 2002 and becoming an economic power and a software superpower by 2002.

"In recent years, Viet Nam and India have regularly exchanged high-level visits, paving the way for better mutual understanding, closer political ties and broader economic cooperation between the two sides".

"Both countries have shared views on regional and international issues of common concern, supported and coordinated with each other in the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and other international forums as well as raising the urgent issues being encountered by developing countries through globalization."--VNA