Azerbaijan: VP Naidu meets Vietnamese counterpart, discusses issues of mutual interests

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu met with his Vietnamese counterpart Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh on the sidelines of the 18th NAM summit here on Friday and reviewed the bilateral ties and discussed issues of mutual interests.

During the meeting, Naidu sought Vietnam's cooperation to secure peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a statement put out by the Vice President of India's Twitter handle.

"The 2 leaders discussed the Comprehensive Strategic partnership and cultural ties between the two nations, and the crucial role Vietnam can play in giving ASEAN a new direction and momentum," the statement said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present during the meeting.

Naidu also met with Maldives' Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

"Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu interacting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives Abdulla Shahid on the sidelines of the NAM Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan today," the tweet by Vice President of India said.

"Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu met with Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, the President of the Republic of Cuba on the sidelines of the XVIII NAM Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan today," another tweet said.

Naidu on Friday met with several world leaders on the sidelines of the 18th session of the NAM summit and interacted with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Thursday, the Vice President interacted with the Indian community here and appreciated their crucial role in enhancing links between India and Azerbaijan.

Naidu is leading the Indian delegation for the two-day summit.

The theme for the summit is "upholding the Bandung principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world".

India is a founding member of NAM, which is one of the largest gatherings of world leaders.