Civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed between India and Vietnam

To enhance the bilateral ties between the two nations, India and Vietnam on 9 December 2016 signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The agreement was signed in New Delhi in presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and visiting President of Vietnam's National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Ngan is the first woman to head the National Assembly of Vietnam.

The MoU on civil nuclear cooperation was inked by Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy Sekhar Basu and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam Pham Cong Tac.

India-Vietnam inked 12 agreements to bolster bilateral relation

This is the second nuclear pact signed by India within a month. Earlier in November 2016, India signed a similar civil nuclear agreement with Japan.

Vietnam is the 14th country with which India signed the civil nuclear deal.

Apart from this civil nuclear agreement, the two nations also signed three other agreements to enhance aviation links, to jointly work in the area of energy efficiency and promotion of parliamentary cooperation.

India, Japan signed 10 agreements including nuclear deal, space, agriculture

Besides, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. During the meeting, Modi welcomed increased Parliamentary interactions between the two countries and called for instituting an exchange programme for young parliamentarians.

Comment: The bilateral agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of Atomic Energy will strengthen the Comprehensive STartegic Partnership between the two nations, namely India and Vietnam.