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Fernandes

in Vietnam

HANOI: Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes met here on Monday with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Van Tra to strengthen military ties, a Foreign Ministry official said.

Fernandes went into talks with Vietnamese Defence Minister Pham Van Tra after arriving here on Sunday on a five-day official visit, the official said, but provided no further information.

In recent years, the two countries have expanded their traditional cooperative relations in economic development and regional security.

However, bilateral trade recently reached just 150 million dollars.ÑAFP