External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday held separate meetings here with her counterparts from seven countries including China, Australia, Canada, Vietnam and Indonesia and discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including disputes in the South China Sea.
In the meeting between Swaraj and her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh, both leaders discussed about the South China Sea issue besides ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy security and trade.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said both sides were working towards a ‘high-level VVIP visit’ from India to Vietnam later this year and Swaraj will go to that country later this month to pave way for the ‘important’ visit.
When asked whether prime minister Narendra Modi will be going to Vietnam, he refused to share details.
Akbaruddin said Foreign Ministers of the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, Canada and China have shared their views on the issue of South China Sea during the meetings with Swaraj on the sidelines of 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in here.
Fresh standoff started recently when China deployed a deep sea oil rig into waters close to the Paracel Islands, which, Vietnam, says belong to it.
In the meeting between Swaraj and her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh, both leaders discussed about the South China Sea issue besides ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy security and trade.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said both sides were working towards a ‘high-level VVIP visit’ from India to Vietnam later this year and Swaraj will go to that country later this month to pave way for the ‘important’ visit.
When asked whether prime minister Narendra Modi will be going to Vietnam, he refused to share details.
Akbaruddin said Foreign Ministers of the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, Canada and China have shared their views on the issue of South China Sea during the meetings with Swaraj on the sidelines of 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in here.
Fresh standoff started recently when China deployed a deep sea oil rig into waters close to the Paracel Islands, which, Vietnam, says belong to it.